Chinese Panda
by CocoGirl
Summary: COMPLETE! Akika Sohma is a little girl only the age of 5, cursed with the Red Panda. Her life, however, is such a sad one just as the others except, her fate has been laid out short...Rated T for bloody scenes! OC character included.
1. Small Girl, Akito's Toy

Chapter 1

Small Girl, Akito's Toy

"What would you like to eat today, Sohma-kun?" Tohru asked Yuki cheerfully as they walked home from school. Yuki smiled back and thought for a moment.

"How about leeks?" He said teasingly. On the other side, beside Tohru, Kyo froze. He glared at the rat and yelled.

"NO DAMN WAY YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME EAT LEEKS!"

Tohru sweatdropped and laughed nervously.

"Get that pwease!" The trio heard a small child cry. A red ball bounced in front of them. Tohru picked up the ball and turned to the kid. The little girl looked up at Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo, and blinked.

"…Ah…" She said softly. She stared at Kyo the most, but didn't say anything else. Tohru held the ball to the small girl, who wore a kindergarten school uniform. The girl took the ball and smiled at Tohru quickly.

"Thank chu!" She said cheerfully.

"You're welcome, little one!" Tohru said back, smiling big. The girl bowed her head and headed back to her school. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo turned around and started to head back home again, when the child turned around.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare towards Kyo. She let a small hiss escape from herself.

"If chu weren't here, then Aki wouldn't haf to deal wif that meanie man…" She mumbled.

"Akika-chan, did you get the ball?" A small boy asked as he jogged to the girl. The girl smiled and nodded, her glare quickly disappearing as if she never had it.

"Mhm!" She said. "Let's go back, teacher maybe be worried!"

With that, the two small children ran back to their school.

* * *

"You met who!?" Back at the Sohma house, about an hour later, Akito yelled and glared at a small child. It was the girl from the kindergarten Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo met on their way home that was kneeling in front of the angered God, trembling slightly with fear.

"….Um… T…The Honda girl chu talk about… an… Yuki… an… Kyo…" She mumbled quietly. Turning her head away from Akito's glare, she closed her eyes tightly to be prepared for a hit, but none came.

"Dear Akika, why did you see them in the first place?" Akito asked, her voice cold and dark. Akika looked up at the head of the family.

"…Aki was pwaying ball… An the ball go out school gate… So Aki go get it, an Aki meet them…"

"Did they know who you were?"

"No… Aki no think so…" Akika shook her head, letting her braided red-gold pigtails hit her cheeks every few seconds.

"Good then, but you are still in trouble. You are not allowed this place for another week, understood?" Akito smirked. Akika looked up at Akito, her dark yellow eyes watering up with tears.

"Ok…" She managed out finally. She stood up and bowed low to Akito, then walked out the room.

"If it was no for the kitty…" Akika said to herself as she walked towards home. "Then… Akito would no be mean to Aki… It no fair…"

Crying, the small child headed home. She opened the door and saw her mother, getting ready to go to work. Akika didn't say anything but headed to her room. The baby of the house crawled to Akika and giggled. Akika smiled at the baby, but walked into her room and closed her door, locking it immediately.

"It all kitty's fault…" She said again. She mumbled it over and over until she curled up in bed and fell asleep.

* * *

At Shigure's house, Kyo was acting somewhat weird as well. He stayed on the roof the whole time after he reached the house, and never attempted to come down, even if Tohru offered fresh milk.

"That girl…" Kyo mumbled, looking up to the sky. "…I know her, but from where?"


	2. Voices

For people who read the first chapter, sorry for it being so sucky! I had to type it up fast before school ended, and I was afraid that my ideas for the small girl in kindergarten will fade on my way home. In this story, all the children in kindergarten are my original characters, but the rest belongs to Natsuki Takaya!

Chapter 2

Voices

"Akika-chan? What's wrong? It's hand painting time, I thought you liked that…" The small boy asked, blinking his dark blue eyes curiously. He waved his hand in front of Akika's face. Akika's eyes widened slightly as she came back to herself and turned up to look at the boy.

"Ah… Sowwie…" She mumbled quietly. She was dazed out in thoughts about the oranged-hair teen she met the day before. The boy smiled, relived that his friend was ok.

"Tsubasa-kun," Akika spoke. "What if… Aki can change into animal…? What will Tsubasa-kun think of Aki…?"

Tsubasa looked at Akika, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You can change into an animal!? That's so cool!" He shouted, gathering their classmates' attentions. Akika's eyes widened even more and she looked around her class, hesitating. She then turned to Tsubasa and shook her head violently.

"No, Aki can't! Aki… Aki just asking!" She said.

"Oh…" Tsubasa looked down, a little disappointed. Akika noticed that everyone else had the same reaction. She then sighed in relief.

Akika got her paper and paint out and started dipping her hand in the pink paint. Placing her hand on her paper, she started drawing on her paper, not really paying attention to what she's drawing.

_"What the fuck is that thing!?"_

The small girl's eyes narrowed slightly. She bit her lips together and tried to rid herself of the voices of her past.

_"How much do you want for her?"_

It didn't stop. The voices kept coming, until the point Akika had to concentrate on her paper. But then she somehow saw Akito's devilish grin on her paper, and her eyes widened in fear. Turning quiet and her body starting the tremble slightly, Akika stared down at the paper. The teacher noticed the frightened child and walked to her. Seeing just scribbles of paint on the paper like all the other children's papers, the teacher got curious. She placed a hand on Akika's head and smiled slightly.

"Akika, what's this?" She asked playfully, trying to get the child's attention. Akika glanced at her teacher, her eyes still wide with fear, and started to whimper.

"A….A…" Akika's voice came out, shaky and scared. The teacher blinked and hugged the small child, and Akika quickly calmed down. Kindergarten teachers were good at calming young children; they noticed that if a child gets a tight squeeze, any child would usually calm down pretty fast

* * *

The school bell rung and children ran out the classroom. Most of the parents were already in front of the school gate, ready to pick up their children from school. However, Akika's parents were no where to be seen. The teachers sighed at seeing Akika left at school after all the children went home. 

"Akika, are you planning to walk home alone again?" The teacher asked, kneeling down beside Akika. Akika turned around and smiled, then nodded to her teacher. She then pulled her hat onto her head and walked out the school gates. A teacher from another class came up to the frowning one.

"Her parents didn't pick her up again? It'll only be a matter of time until something bad happens…"

"I know," Akika's teacher said, cutting off the sentence. "But we can't do anything. If the parents feel that Akika's ready to walk home by herself, then let the child walk home by him or herself. It's a part of our school rules… Although, I never seen either of that child's parents, never. She's always alone I think…"

"Children, they're hard to understand," The other teacher shook her head and walked back into the office.

* * *

"Aki home…" Akika mumbled as she walked into the dark, messy house. She looked at her mother, holding the baby. Glaring towards the woman, Akika slammed the door and walked into her room. She then glanced at the picture in the corner of her room. It was a picture of yet another woman, not her teacher or the woman who was holding the baby in the house, but a beautiful teenager with long brown hair and dark green eyes. 

Akika's eyes watered up with tears once more. She closed her eyes tightly and let the tears run down her cheeks. Crying silently by herself, she started hearing more voices of her past in her head again.

_"I can't handle it… Why did you have to be born…?"_

_"It's all your fault! You killed him!"_

_"Will 200 be enough?"_

_"You look different, why your mommy don't look like chu?"_

_"You want to raise her? Do you know how old you are!?"_

Wiping her eyes with her uniform sleeve, Akika sniffled and whimpered. She placed the picture on the floor again and curled up against her bed.

"Mommy, Aki still wuv chu…, why chu no pick up Aki an take Aki wif chu…?" The small girl mumbled. She looked up at the roof and frowned. "Why, mommy…?"


	3. Dreams and Reality

Chapter 3

Dreams and Reality

"Okay everyone, let's play a game! Does everyone have their pictures done so we can share?" The kindergarten teacher asked cheerfully, a huge smile spread across her features. The five year old children all nodded happily and proudly, except for little Akika. She nodded, but a smile was not on her face. The teacher noticed but did not say anything.

"All you have to do is show everyone a picture you drew of what you want to be when you grow up! Taku, why don't you go first?"

"Ok!" The small boy with black hair and eyes stood up happily. He walked to the front of the classroom.

"When I grow up," Taku started, "I want to be this!" Raising his picture up high, the other children immediately knew what the picture was. It was a stick figure with a fire truck in the back, and fire scribbles around the figures.

"A fireman? How wonderful!" The teacher said, clapping her hands. Taku smiled and sat down in his seat. "Ok, Sayumi! You're next!"

"Yes ma'am," A girl with high pigtails and long eyelashes stood up. She grinned towards Akika, and Akika quickly looked away. Sayumi was the most popular girl in class and she hated Akika for her unique hair and eye colors. Sayumi did anything to show that she was better than Akika. Akika, being the girl with a harsher life than Sayumi, honestly did not care.

"When I grow up," Sayumi held up her picture, "I _will_ be the princess of Japan!"

The picture had a stick figure with a lot of colorful clothes on. All around the girl were several, weird animals, which Sayumi pointed out was the 'future animals' that existed only for herself. There was also many other stick figures that surrounded the main one, all holding up signs that wrote Sayumi's name on it. Akika sweatdropped.

_An Aki thought Aki's was weird than others…_ Akika thought to herself, sighing softly.

"Um…, that's great!" The teacher clapped her hands, and Sayumi sat back down. She gave Akika a dirty grin. Akika narrowed her eyes and looked away.

"Tsubasa, it's your turn!" The teacher said happily. Tsubasa stood up and glanced towards Akika worriedly. Akika blinked a few times. Tsubasa shook his head and walked to the front of the class. He raised his picture. It was a picture of an airplane.

"I want to drive an airplane when I get big!" He said, smiling. There wasn't really anything to say, so the teacher clapped her hands. Tsubasa bowed and walked back to his seat.

"Akika, you're next!"

"Okie...," Akika stood up and walked to the front of the class. Holding her drawing up nervously, she mumbled softly. "When Aki gwow up," She said, "Aki wanna be… Fwee, an awive…"

Everyone stared at her, confused.

* * *

"Hello?" Akito picked up the phone an hour later, after school was out.

"Hello, this is Akika Mido's teacher, Suzan Hima?" On the other line, Akika's teacher spoke. Akito sighed annoyingly. All the phone calls went to Akito, because Akika's parents didn't even bother to speak of their child.

"This is her _cousin_," Akito replied.

"Yes; I'm sorry, but I need to speak about that child with you."

"Say it now." Akito narrowed her eyes into thin slits and said dully.

"Akika's been depressed today, and she says stuff no five-year-old should even think about, such as death," The teacher said. Akito laughed lightly.

"Don't worry about it; she is nothing but a confused child." She said, grinning.

"Yes, but…"

"I believe this is something you shouldn't be concerned about!" Akito snapped. The teacher turned quiet, and Akito hung up the phone. She then sighed once more.

_How many times do I have to tell her about her curse's fate?_ Akito asked to herself.

* * *

"Akika?" On the way home, Akika heard someone call her name. Akika quickly realized the familiar voice and spun around, smiling happily.

"Rin-oneechan!" Akika pushed her school hat off and jumped up to the older girl. Rin smiled slightly and patted the small child's back. Akika always reminded Rin of herself, and she was determined to not let Akika face a terrible fate as hers.

To Akika, Rin was someone who she looked up to as an older sister, like Kisa looked up to Tohru. Rin was perhaps the only zodiac member Akika knew, since Akito told her to never meet the other zodiac members.

"Rin-oneechan, tell Aki the stowy about the 'Hawu' pewson again, pwease?" Akika begged, opening her bright eyes wide excitedly. Rin laughed and nodded, and opened to her mouth to reply, when Hatori came and lifted the small girl.

Rin's eyes narrowed towards the oldest cursed Sohma. Akika blinked up and looked up to see Hatori's face. Hatori held Akika away from him, as if to not to let himself transform by holding the child close.

"Hatori?" Akika tilted her head to the side. Hatori smiled at the girl he was holding and started to walk away. Rin's eyes stayed narrowed.

"Where are you taking her?" Rin asked, anger in her voice. Hatori turned his head around to face the horse.

"Akito wants to see her." He replied simply.

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't know, I am not Akito." Hatori placed Akika in front of Akito's room and walked away.

* * *

Slowly opening the door, Akika walked into the dark room where Akito stayed in. Akito glanced towards the whimpering child.

"Akika, welcome _home_, how was school?" Akito asked coldly. Akika nodded simply.

"That's good, what did you do today?" Akito asked again, getting up and walking towards Akika. She closed the door behind the girl and placed her cold hand on the girl's cheek. Akika flinched.

"…Dwawing…" She replied.

"Drawing? Aww, that's fun. What did you draw? Show me, Akika."

Akika opened her yellow school bag and held up a piece of paper. Akika opened it up.

There was a girl scribbled on the picture, with blue sky and fields full of flowers on the background. Akito smirked and Akika looked down sadly.

"What's this?"

"Aki's dweam…" Akika mumbled.

"I know that, what is your dream?" Akito folded the drawing.

"…..To… Be fwee…" Akika mumbled again, this time her voice barely above a whisper. Akito's eyes widened with anger. She clenched the paper until it crumpled in her hand and slapped the smaller girl. Akika winced.

"Why can't you make up something like the other children in your class? Do you want to be home schooled, by me? Would you like that, little Akika?"

Akika shook her head, frightened. The slap didn't hurt that much, what hurt was the fact that Akito has gotten mad. Unlike other children who had loving mothers and fathers, Akika only had Akito as her guardian. Getting scolded by Akito almost meant the same as getting scolded by a short-tempered parent.

"Aki sowwie…" Akika said, curling up small.

"My little panda, what are you so sorry about?"

"Being… Diffewent…"

"Why are you so different?"

Akika didn't know the answer to that. _Why ish Aki diffewent…?_ She thought to herself, blinking, realizing.

"Face reality, child. When you're ten, you're out of this world. Until then I advise you do well and enjoy life now."

"Yes, Akito-sama…" Akika nodded, and Akito walked out the room. She headed for the kitchen to get a drink, and Akika was certain that she could leave now. She walked out the room and down the hall, when she saw a man, a teen man to be exact.

He had white and black hair and several accessories. Akika thought for a moment and quickly remembered who the man was. Hatsuharu Sohma, the man who comes in Rin's fairytale stories that she told Akika often. Akika glanced down and avoided eye contact. She wanted to say hi to the teen, but she knew that she had angered Akito enough for the day. If she talked to one of the zodiacs, she'll be in bigger trouble.

Because she had to be kept a secret…


	4. Do Fairytales Come True?

Chapter 4

Do Fairytales Come True?

The small girl heard a knock on the window behind her in her room. It was already dark with a full moon showing and giving out light. Akika saw the horse peeking in the room, making her smile grow wide. She rushed to the window and opened it, and Rin smiled back.

"Stowy time?" Akika asked. Rin paused and looked around. Akika blinked.

"No story time for you!" Rin laughed. She reached in and tickled Akika's stomach, making the child squeal and laugh. Rin couldn't help but to smile. She stopped tickling Akika and watched her jump onto the small bed full of stuffed bears. As the child cuddled up with one or two of the chosen bears, Rin pushed herself into the room and kneeled next to the bed.

"What stowy Rin-oneechan haf today?" Akika asked. Rin thought for a moment. She was running out of story ideas.

"Well," She started. "Today, I will tell you about a girl in elementary school that helped a girl in her class." Rin smiled. "Ready?"

Akika nodded. She snuggled up with her bear and smiled.

"Okay. Once, there was a girl who was named… Hmm… Mimi." Rin laughed a bit as she tucked Akika in. "Mimi had a bad mommy and daddy. They didn't like Mimi, and they… They gave Mimi many boo-boos."

Rin tried to avoid words that could've frightened the sleepy child. Little did Akika know, the 'Mimi' was Rin herself.

"Mimi went to school. It was a boring, normal day, until the teacher told everyone to get with a partner to do… Uh…" Rin stopped again. She had to think of a subject the kindergartener knew. "…Drawing. They had to do a drawing together. Mimi had to work with… Nana, another girl in the class. Mimi and Nana worked well together, and became good friends. Mimi noticed that no matter how hard life is at home, her best friend Nana would help her."

Rin glanced at Akika, who was still wide awake. Akika waited to only find out that the story ended. Rin wasn't surprised at the fact that Akika didn't fall asleep. In fact, Rin's stories usually were meant to keep Akika awake and listening. Rin usually made the stories to give hope to the child who given up on all hope for a better life. To give the child courage and to make her believe the story will happen to her someday, the horse also made sure to make her story characters around Akika's age. In that story, Mimi was Rin herself, and Nana was Tohru.

"Will that happen to Aki too one day?" Akika asked sleepily. Rin paused again and stared at Akika blankly and guiltily. She couldn't promise something that she couldn't make happen, especially when Akika was a child that trusted Rin with her whole heart.

"Will it?" Akika asked again, whining softly. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and tilted her head slightly into the pillow. Rin smiled gently.

"Yes," Rin answered. "Someday, it will." She placed a hand on Akika's cheek and kissed the small girl's temple. Akika smiled happily and closed her eyes, falling asleep immediately.

Rin stayed near the bed where the child slept for a while. A guilty, sad look was on the older girl's expression.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay everyone, sit in your seat!" Akika looked up to her teacher when she heard that voice. She sighed and sat down.

"Today, we are going to get partners and draw! I want you to draw me a pretty picture together, ok?"

"Yes ma'am!" All the students said in union. Akika looked around to find who she could be partners with. She turned to Tsubasa, but he was already with someone else.

"….Ah…" Looking around for someone else, Akika found herself alone, just like another girl in the corner. Akika frowned when she saw who it was.

"Akika, you're partners with Sayumi, ok?" The teacher said. She led the small child to the other girl and smiled. Then she placed a box of crayons in front of each girl and a paper in the middle.

"Be nice and work well, make me a pretty picture!" The teacher said encouragingly. Akika and Sayumi nodded. When the teacher left, they both shot a glare to each other.

"Like, why do I have to work with the most 'pretty' girl in my class? This is like, so hell." Sayumi started she grabbed her green crayon and started scribbling on the paper. Akika blinked, confused.

"Sayumi-chan, we haf to work together…" Akika said softly. "What are we gonna dwaw?"

"I'm drawing your ugly face." Sayumi shot quickly. Akika glanced down to the drawing, noticing a girl's face in the scribbles. Wanting to get along until the lesson was over, Akika smiled at Sayumi friendlily.

"Then Aki will dwaw Sayumi-chan's pwetty face!" She said cheerfully. Getting the red crayon, Akika started to scribble a face on the paper as well.

"Your drawing sucks!" Sayumi glanced at the paper. Akika didn't say anything back. Annoyed, Sayumi narrowed her eyes and grabbed Akika's wrist with the hand that held the crayon. She then pulled Akika's hand across her own drawing, making the big red line across her own.

"Teacher!!" Sayumi then cried out. Akika's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's wrong, did you do a good drawing?" The teacher walked to the children, then blinked at Sayumi. "Sayumi, what's wrong?"

"Akika-chan messed up my drawing!!!" Sayumi cried. The teacher looked at the drawing and at the red crayon in Akika's hand.

"Really? Why did you do such a thing, Akika?" She asked calmly. Akika clenched her small hand around the crayon.

"….Aki didn't…" Akika mumbled.

"What happened?" The teacher asked again.

"….She did it…" Akika pointed at Sayumi, and Sayumi cried louder. The teacher sighed and picked up Sayumi and started to rock her back and forth.

"You can't blame other people for what you did. Tell Sayumi you're sorry." The teacher scolded. Akika's eyes filled with tears.

_But… Aki didn't…_ Akika thought to herself. She stayed quiet, and the teacher raised her tone.

"You go to the time-out corner, young lady!" She pointed to the corner of the room. Akika glanced at the chair and walked to the corner, sitting in the chair quietly. Her classmates all walked to Sayumi worriedly and narrowed their eyes to Akika. No wonder, Sayumi was the most popular girl in class.

Tsubasa, however, looked at Akika worriedly. Akika didn't notice Tsubasa however, and turned away from the class with tears at the corner of her eyes.


	5. Shigure's House

Chapter 5

Shigure's House

"Aki sowwie Aki sowwie Aki sowwie!!!" Akika screamed and cried. Her voice filled the whole dark room. Akito grabbed the girl that clinged onto the tatami mat, bleached with both stained and new blood, between one and another mat with her small, chubby fingers. Picking her up by the back of her uniform shirt, Akito flunged the girl back onto the mat as hard as she could. Akika screamed again, but her voice was interrupted by another harsh throw to the mat.

Akito was angered badly. She was receiving phone calls from the kindergarten everyday now, each time with a different problem that the teacher claimed that Akika caused. The annoyed Akito kicked Akika across the room. Akika hit her back on the other wall and kept still and silent. Akito watched as Akika tried to get back on her feet. After barely succeeding, the child bowed.

"Aki sowwie…" A small whisper came from Akika. She then winced and fell to the ground.

"Get out, I don't want to see your face anymore for today." Akito demanded, but Akika couldn't move. Her whole body ached and bruised, making it hard for the girl to even stand. Akito picked up the child and carried her to the window. She then literally threw Akika out. Akika landed on the flowerbed and yelped loudly. The sudden 'poof' was followed right after, and Akito saw the furry creature laying in the pile of clothes and flowers, unconscious.

Rin was walking home when she saw the girl get thrown out the window. Her eyes widened in fear as she watched helplessly. After hearing the loud, painful yelp, Rin quickly rushed to the flowerbed. She picked up the animal under the pile of clothes carefully and looked up at Akito's window. Akito wasn't there anymore, and Rin gave a small sigh of relief.

Rin then glanced down at the furry animal in her arm. It had a small, button-like nose with whiskers. The fur was orange-brown with black and white markings. The tail was ringed with brown rings. The red panda.

Cuddling the red panda cub in her arm, Rin gathered the clothes and wrapped Akika in them. She then narrowed her eyes and stood up, still with Akika in her arms.

"I'm going to take you to your dreamland." Rin whispered to the unconscious animal. She then quickly ran out the estate property.

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The doorbell rung at Shigure's house.

"A visitor?" Kyo blinked.

"I'll get it!" Tohru smiled. She headed to the door and opened it. "Ah, Isuzu-san!"

"Isuzu?" Shigure turned around toward the door curiously. "Ah, Rin! What are you doing here?"

"Not time," Rin walked in. She sat the pile of school uniform on the floor. Yuki blinked, surprised.

"Isn't that the uniform for the kindergarten all of us Sohmas went to?" He sat down beside the clothes. Rin nodded.

Tohru walked into the room just when Yuki removed some clothes to reveal the raccoon-like animal. Tohru's eyes widened.

"Aw! It's so cute!" She exclaimed. Yuki nodded. He placed a hand on the cub's head when it suddenly poofed and changed back to the child Tohru and Yuki remembered faintly. Kyo's eyes narrowed.

Akika sure had skills of covering her injuries with clothes. Her whole body was covered in numerous bruises and cuts. Rin sighed. Tohru panicked. She stood up quickly and headed to the bathroom for the First-Aid. Yuki had to look away. He had enough clues to figure out what was going on. Kyo couldn't help but to grin. Noticing the slight grin on himself, Kyo quickly walked out the room. Shigure shook his head and stood near his door.

Tohru came back and sat next to the five-year-old. She placed a hand on Akika's arm. Suddenly, Akika jolted up awake and screamed loudly. The pain in her body from Akito didn't bother her panic state.

The gang watched as Akika stepped away from everyone, her eyes blank. She ran to the corner of the room as fast as she could and cried and screamed loudly.

"Aki sowwie! Aki sowwie!! Aki sowwie!! Don't be mad pwease! Aki sowwie! Aki be more gooder girl!!"

Yuki slowly stepped towards Akika cautiously, and Akika screamed louder.

"Goodest girl! Aki be goodest girl!" Akika quickly corrected herself. With her tear-filled eyes and blank mind, all Akika could see was a blurred figure with the similar hairstyle of Akito's approaching her. Yuki stopped in his tracks, scared and confused.

"No more boo-boo pwease… No more boo-boo pwease, Aki sowwie!" She cried loudly.

Tohru's eyes were wide. It reminded her of how Rin reacted when she first met her, only worse. She remembered how her mother used to calm her and looked around. Picking up a towel, Tohru walked slowly to Akika. Akika looked towards the stranger and panicked even more. She screamed for help and cried harder. The words surprised Rin.

"Mommy! Mommy!! Hewp Aki, mommy! Mommy!!" Akika cried. Rin clenched her fists together and yelled.

"Your mother is dead!" She yelled. Tohru listened to gather details and watched Akika's body tremble badly. She walked closer to the crying child, just enough so that she could reach her hands to her. Akika was slowly stop crying, she was getting really tired. With a gentle movement, Tohru wrapped Akika in the towel and hugged her tightly. Akika held tightly onto Tohru's shirt. Whimpering, Akika called her mother over and over.

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"Isuzu-san, I know it's none of my business, but I don't think you had to yell at her…" Tohru sighed.

Isuzu, Tohru, and Akika were in Tohru's bed now. Tohru had managed to quiet the child by hugging her tight. However, Akika refused to eat dinner, and didn't allow anyone to treat her injuries. She was also still in her uniform, since Rin and Tohru couldn't find any children clothes in the house. Rin sighed as well as she nodded and frowned and rubbed Akika's back. Akika was now fast asleep, with one hand holding onto Rin's long hair. Tohru smiled gently and tilted her head.

"I know, I couldn't say sorry though…" Rin said softly. Tohru smiled and giggled. Rin shot a glare towards Tohru.

"What's so funny?" She asked quietly to not wake the child.

"Nothing, nothing… But…" Tohru stopped giggling and smiled motherly. "But, I don't think Akika feels you just scolded her… She really seems attached to you, just like Kisa-san to me!"

Rin glanced down at Akika. Akika was still sleeping soundly.

"I guess…" Rin mumbled and nodded, agreeing. She then went silent again. Tohru could tell Rin was about to tell her something, so she stayed quiet and waited. Finally after a long pause, Rin opened her mouth again to speak.

"I will not let Akika go back to Akito, he can't be her parent, no, not even a guardian." Rin said.

Tohru frowned. She knew how Rin felt, but this was the head of the family they were speaking of to disobey. Wouldn't that be bad for the Sohmas?


	6. Kitty Trouble

Chapter 6

Kitty Trouble

_"Long ago, when the humans didn't exist yet, the animals roamed the earth. The God was the only 'human' known, but He never came down to the world full of animals, since He knew He was different. He was scared. He was nervous. He knew He was too different to join…"_

_"So what did God do?" Akika asked curiously. She watched as Akito grinned and placed a gentle hand on Akika's head. Akika tilted her head, confused._

_"The God…"_

"Akika-chan, would you like breakfast?"

Akika's eyes popped open. She looked around and held her head as if she had a headache. It was just a dream. Akika missed the times when Akito was still nice to her. Now, instead of Akito being nice, Akika was actually taken away from Akito because she was getting hurt too often. Now, Tohru was her 'Akito'.

She looked towards Tohru and nodded, and Tohru smiled.

"Ok, I'll call you when it's ready! You should go brush your hair!"

"Okie…" Akika nodded. She rubbed her eyes as Tohru dashed out the door, ready to cook. She turned her head to the bed and frowned when she didn't see Rin. Was she already awake?

"Rin-oneechan?" Akika whimpered. She climbed off the bed and walked around the house, completely forgotten about Tohru telling her to brush her hair. After trying to search for Rin by looking all over the house, Akika finally slumped down, tears in her eyes.

"Rin-oneechan…" She started to cry. Suddenly, the door next to her opened, after the sound of the toilet flushing. Rin's face was flushed bright red. She couldn't even use the bathroom without the child crying! But she couldn't get mad. Instead, Rin just reached down and picked up the sniffling child. Akika clinged onto Rin with all her might. Rin shook her head and carried Akika to the front room. Tohru turned her head to see who entered, then smiled warmly when she saw Rin holding onto the sniffling Akika. It was like seeing herself when she was small.

"What's for breakfast?" Rin asked. Tohru was pulled out of her thoughts.

"Oh, fish and rice and miso soup!" Tohru smiled. She quickly turned back to the stove and started to mix the miso to make the soup. Rin watched for a while until she finally brought Akika to the table and placed her down. Akika sat on one of the cushions, frowning and tilting her head.

"I'll go help her. You stay, ok?" Rin smiled. Akika nodded.

"Oh, it'll trouble you! It's ok, I can do it myself!" Tohru quickly replied when she heard what Rin said. Rin narrowed her eyes and pushed Tohru away from the stove. She got another spoonful of miso and dumped it into the boiling water. Tohru's eyes widened. She had to mix the soup so the miso wouldn't get hard!! She screamed and quickly started to mix the soup as Rin blinked, confused. Akika watched and giggled. She never saw her mother doing that to her father, so it felt warm inside.

"Hey," Akika heard a voice from the door. She quickly turned to the door, and narrowed her eyes. Kyo.

"What?" Akika asked.

"What are you doing in my seat?"

"There's a seat for the kitty? The kitty don't need one." Akika replied back, as sharp as Hiro's replies to Kyo. Kyo twitched.

"You're sitting in my damn seat, brat!" He yelled and Akika flinched. She watched as Kyo marched over to her, his eyes burning in anger. It reminded the small girl of Akito, and she started crying loudly. Kyo blinked, surprised at the sudden burst of cries from the child. Rin reacted quickly by dashing into the room. She quickly picked up the crying girl and glared at Kyo.

"What did you do!?" She yelled. Kyo was confused. He sweatdropped and hesitated.

"I just told her to get out my seat, damnit." He mumbled. Rin glanced to Akika, who was starting to calm, then whispered to her.

"Did the orange-head meanie hurt you?" She asked teasingly. Kyo twitched in annoyance. Akika nodded, and Kyo gave out a small 'Hey'.

Rin turned to Kyo.

"Did you do anything disgusting to her!?" She yelled. Kyo was blank for a second, but he quickly caught on. He blushed bright red and shook his head in anger.

"No way!!!" He yelled. "I wouldn't do anything to a kindergartener!!!"

"So you would do something to someone else? Like Tohru?" Rin smirked. Akika blinked and turned to Kyo and Rin, hiccupping from the cries.

"NO I WON'T!!!" He yelled again.

"…..Kitty mean?" Akika blinked and hid her face into Rin's shoulder. Rin patted Akika's back and laughed.

"Yes, this kitty's mean… Don't play with this kitty, ok?"

"Okie…"

"GOD DAMNIT, I'M GOING TO EAT OUT!!" Kyo yelled and ran out the house. Rin couldn't help but to laugh. Akika looked at Rin, confused.

"We're going to go shopping today, ok?" Tohru entered the room, laughing a bit. "We need to get Akika some clothes…"

"Aki haf school…" Akika said softly.

"It wouldn't hurt to stay home one day," Rin smiled.

"…But…" Akika frowned.

"It's ok, we'll call the school." Rin placed a hand on Akika's head. Akika smiled. "We need to get you some clothes so you can live here, ok?"

"…Okie…" Akika smiled.

"Be sure to buy those tight ones with short skirts!" Shigure entered suddenly. Rin blushed a bit, and Tohru blinked. Tohru was completely confused, just like Akika.

"PERVERT!" Rin yelled.


	7. Shopping & Akito's Arrival

Chapter 7

Shopping & Akito's Arrival

"How about this one?" Tohru asked as she held up a pink and white dress in front of the small girl. Akika sweatdropped and scooted back shyly. She hid behind Rin, who was looking at her own style of clothes. Rin, Tohru, and Akika were in the mall, shopping for Akika's clothes. Tohru watched Akika hide and frowned, sighing softly. Rin patted Akika's head nervously and went on with looking at her clothes. None of the sizes Rin was looking at was going to fit Akika. In fact, Rin wasn't interested in what Akika was going to wear. She just looked for clothes she wanted to wear herself.

"Akika-san, you need to help me choose your clothes…, I don't know what you want to wear, you know?" Tohru hung the dress back on. She started looking for more designs as Akika poked her head out to Tohru.

"Aki alweady haf a mommy an daddy!" She pouted. "Aki no need cwothes! Aki haf cwothes at home!"

Akika was acting like this the whole time they were shopping. Every time Tohru picked out some clothes, Akika would just shake her head or hide behind Rin. Rin, of course, didn't mind. By this time, even Tohru was getting tired of babysitting and trying to make the child have fun by shopping.

Tohru stood up and started to walk to another section. She picked out a shirt that had a panda picture on it. Her face lit up as she spun around to face Akika.

"How about a panda one?" She smiled. Akika frowned and stayed behind Rin. Tohru frowned. "No?"

"No…" Akika shook her head. She hid her face into Rin's short skirt and whimpered. "Aki haf mommy an daddy…!!"

Akika was getting a bit scared. She somehow sensed that she could never return to her mother and father the moment she accepted Tohru's kindness. So instead, she acted stubborn to keep herself feeling safe. Tohru however, didn't notice that fact. She thought she was angering Akika.

As Tohru shook her head sadly and placed the shirt back on the rack, she heard a familiar voice. Tohru smiled happily and turned around to see the blonde boy standing behind her and smiling.

"Momiji-kun!" Tohru shouted happily. She resisted the urge to hug her friend and giggled. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to get some things for my school…," Momiji smiled and trailed off when he saw Akika. Akika blinked and narrowed her eyes from behind Rin. "…..Hmm?"

"For school? Oh, you have a science project, right?" Tohru asked. Momiji nodded and skipped over to Rin and Akika.

"Hi Isuzu!" He smiled. Rin stayed emotionless as she ignored the rabbit. Momiji puffed his cheeks out and pouted at this, but quickly turned his attention to the little girl hiding behind Rin. Akika's eyes widened a bit as she noticed Momiji smiling down at her. "What's your name?"

"A…. Akika…" Akika mumbled. She held tightly onto Rin.

"Akika?" Momiji blinked. "I don't think I know a Sohma by that name…"

"Who said Aki's a Sohma?" Akika quickly asked while her eyes narrowed again. Momiji blinked in surprise.

"Well, you are a curs--"

"Akika, Momiji, shut up." Rin ordered, cutting off Momiji's sentence. Momiji quickly covered his mouth, realizing what he was about to say. Akika kept staring at Momiji with those same eyes.

"Sorry Isuzu!" Momiji nervously apologized, then whispered, "…Thanks."

Rin just nodded and picked up Akika in her arms. Akika looked down at Momiji like a kitten watching a mouse. Momiji tilted his head and asked.

"But… She is one, right?"

"She is." Rin nodded and whispered. "The red panda."

"But how's that possible?"

"Think of where you are, Rabbit." Rin said coldly. Momiji sweatdropped and nodded. He skipped over to Tohru again.

"Well, I got all the stuff I need; I need to go work on it now!" He smiled. Tohru giggled again and nodded.

"Good luck!" She waved as Momiji skipped away.

That night, the trio returned with a bunch of clothes and stuff needed to care for the five-year-old.

"Welcome home!" Shigure grinned. He knelt down in front of Akika. "Did you get Grandpa Shigure some great clothes for you to wear?"

Akika tilted her head. "…Mii?"

"Shut up, perverted old man!" Rin yelled. She slapped Shigure's cheek and quickly lifted Akika back up in her arms. Akika blinked, confused.

Shigure whimpered like the dog he is. "I was just asking if she got clothes to wear…" He whined.

"Your definition of **clothes** is different from our definition!" Rin shook her head. She placed Akika back down and held tightly onto her hand, pulling her into the living room. Tohru looked at Shigure worriedly and quickly rushed into the kitchen to start and make dinner. That night, they were having instant food.

---------------------------------------------

After having dinner, Akika changed into her new pajamas. The pajamas were pink and had hearts all over it. Akika blushed a bit; she never wore the girly type of pajamas since usually her pajamas were old ragged towels. She entered the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Lifting her bangs, Akika examined a scar on her forehead.

_It still there…?_ Akika frowned. She was too little to know that scars stayed for the rest of her life, especially when it was a deep one. Akika traced her fingers across her scar and flinched. She was expecting pain, but why? The pain from the cut disappeared long ago.

"Akika-san, it's eight! Isuzu-san said you need to go to bed!" Tohru said from behind her, standing at the door. Akika turned around and nodded. She walked out the bathroom and stopped suddenly, quickly turning her head to face the door.

"…" Akika stared for a while, her eyes widening with fear. Tohru came up behind her and blinked. She looked at Akika and at the door, confused. Suddenly, the doorbell rung. Tohru started to rush to the door when Shigure came from the living room, stopping Tohru quickly.

"It's Akito," Shigure said as he pulled Tohru away from the door. The bell rung again and Akika started to whimper, tears whelming up in her eyes. Tohru blinked.

"Akito-san? What does he want?" She asked. Shigure shook his head at Tohru's stupidity and turned to face Akika. He noticed the look on the girl's face and ignored the bell the rung again, followed by the banging on the door. Luckily, the door was locked, so there was no way Akito was going to be able to enter. Shigure covered his mouth and yelled as if he was far away.

"Coming! In the bathroom now!" He said. The banging stopped, but Tohru could hear the cussing words that came from Akito's mouth. Everyone could tell that Akito was in a bad mood. Shigure carefully placed a hand on the frightened child's shoulder and flinched when Akika yelped with fear.

"Shh!" Shigure warned. Akika started crying and Tohru panicked. Rin came down the stairs, noticing that it was taking quite a while just for a child to come up the stairs to go to bed. She then noticed Akika crying and the angered familiar voice from outside.

"I got her." Rin said as she lifted Akika over her shoulders. Akika cried in fear as Rin patted the girl's back. That was when Rin noticed the fact that as much as Akika depended on Akito, she was afraid of the head of the family as well. She hugged Akika tightly and whispered.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Rin whispered. There was another loud bang on the door and Shigure and Tohru jumped.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Akito yelled.

"Bring her upstairs! Put her to sleep, if you can, so she doesn't have to hear Akito." Shigure told Rin. Rin kept hugging Akika tightly, trying to calm her down, and nodded. She ran up the stairs and into the room.

"I'll get the door; you get some tea, Tohru-kun." Shigure smiled. Tohru nodded and rushed into the kitchen. Shigure walked to the door and unlocked it, opening the door.

"Akito-san, you shouldn't be causing much chaos. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I don't care! WHERE IS THAT BRAT!?" Akito yelled. She stomped into the living room, only to find Tohru placing tea on the table.

"You… YOU STOLE MY BRAT!? DID YOU STEAL THAT KID!?" Akito shouted.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Akito-san. Why don't we have some tea and relax so I can understand who you are looking for?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Akito stomped out the room and up the stairs, towards Tohru's room where Rin and Akika stayed.


	8. Mommy Daddy

Chapter 8

Mommy… Daddy…

"Akika, get in here." Rin whispered. She pushed the whimpering child into the closet, when the door busted open. Akito walked into Tohru's room and glued her cold, dark glare to Rin's frozen figure. Rin's eyes widened as she stayed perfectly still and quiet. She kept her hand on Akika's shaking shoulder as Akika started to let out a whine of fear.

Shigure and Tohru couldn't do anything but to stay downstairs, their hearts beating fast.

"I've been looking for you, my little bear…" Akito finally spoke, breaking the silence. Rin came back to herself and quickly held Akika close to herself. Akika closed her eyes tightly, trying to block her own view from Akito. Akito grinned. "Let's go _home_, Akika. Your mother's worried sick about you."

Akika shook her head quickly. She covered her ears with her hands and started to cry loudly again. Rin pressed Akika's face into her chest and rocked her back and forth, but Akika didn't stop. This only made Akito chuckle softly.

"You don't believe me?" Akito asked.

"No!" Akika answered between her sobs, trying to be strong. Akito's chuckles stopped immediately.

"Why not?"

Akika mumbled softly. She held tightly onto Rin and shook violently in fear of getting hurt.

"Hm?" Akito tilted her head innocently. She knelt down at her spot and watched as Akika squeaked and hid her face into Rin's chest again. Rin couldn't do anything but to hold the child. She turned her head to look at the child, when she heard a loud crack behind her. Rin jumped and turned around. Akika's eyes widened when she heard the cracking noise, as if she immediately knew what the noise was.

Akito was up on her feet, her hand holding tightly onto a long whip. Rin's eyes widened. Akika's body trembled, but she didn't dare to scream. The room was silent until Akito gave a command.

"Akika, come here."

Akito's voice created to frightful atmosphere in the room. Akika glanced at the whip and slowly pulled herself away from Rin. She then got on her feet and walked to Akito with tiny steps. Akito's grin came back as she reached and grabbed Akika's arm. Akika winced when she felt the nails dig into her skin. The nails dug in so deep to the point it started to draw blood. Akika couldn't help but to scream loudly in pain then.

"Does that feel good?" Akito asked, digging her nails in even deeper. She was pleased when Akika screamed louder, and soon started to cry. Rin clenched her fists and jumped onto her feet. She started to dash towards Akito and Akika. Akito watched Rin and raised the whip. Rin stopped, and Akito lowered the whip. The horse knew already not to move any closer, or the panda was going to get whipped, hard.

"Mommy… Mommy…" Akika cried. Blood was slowly starting to form a puddle under her arm. Akito pulled her nails out of Akika's skin and pushed Akika onto the floor. She then kicked the girl to Rin.

"You want her?" Akito smirked. Rin glared at Akito. She then felt a weak tug on her sock. Rin looked down to the crying girl.

"Rin-oneechan, Rin-oneechan…" Akika mumbled, wincing. Rin knelt down and quickly scooped the young girl in her arms.

"No fightin pwease, Rin-oneechan… No fightin pwease…" Akika begged. Her eyes were still filled with tears. Rin knew they were not tears of pain, but tears of fear. Rin bit her lips together, not being able to say anything, and hugged the girl tightly. Akito watched and shook her head, laughing softly.

"Now give her back." Akito said after a few minutes. Rin didn't move. It was silent again in the room, except for the sound of a sleeping person. Akika was fast asleep, tired of the crying, and comfortable when she was carried by Rin. Akito walked and towered over Rin, then grabbed a handful of Rin's hair. She was about to pull the horse onto the floor, when someone else called from the door.

"Akito, you need to come back to the main house. You are still sick." Hatori ordered, leaning against the wall and watching. He watched Akito let go of Rin's hair and spit near her. Akito then obeyed the doctor and walked out the room, leaving Rin and Akika alone in the room once more.

Rin slumped onto her knees. To her surprise, tears were pouring out her own black eyes, falling onto Akika's pajamas. She knew that if Hatori didn't come at the right time, Akika was going to get hurt badly, and all she would be able to do is watch her cry for help. The thought frightened Rin.

* * *

"Akika!? Akika!!?" Rin ran around the house the next morning, panicked. Akika was gone when she woke up. Rin looked all around the house, every corner, every room, but Akika was no where in sight. Just as Rin was about to scream, Tohru walked in sleepily and blinked.

"Isuzu-san?" She yawned.

"Tohru…" Rin rushed to Tohru and looked at her pleadingly. "Have you seen Akika? She's missing!"

Tohru woke up at that. She panicked as well and rushed up the stairs to wake up the rest of the people in the house. Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure slowly walked down the stairs lazily.

"Honda-san…, did you really search everywhere?" Yuki said sleepily, still not completely awake yet. Kyo rolled his eyes; he didn't want to search for someone he didn't like in the first place. Shigure yawned sleepily as well and started looking.

"Isuzu-san said she searched everywhere and couldn't find her…" Tohru said worriedly. Yuki nodded and started to look around the house. Kyo sighed and walked out the door, saying he was going to search from the roof.

Tohru turned to Rin.

"Don't you know anywhere she might have gone?" Tohru asked, frowning. Rin stood silent. She then quickly looked up suddenly.

"The bridge…" She said. Rin got back on her feet and rushed out the door as fast as what she was; a horse.

* * *

Akika was at the bridge, drawing something in the dirt near the entrance of the bridge. With her index finger covered with dirt, Akika looked up at the sky and frowned, then heard Rin's voice. Rin rushed to Akika and picked Akika up quickly in her arms. Akika was taken by slight surprise.

"Mii!?" She blinked. "Rin-oneechan…?"

"You… What are you thinking!!!?" Rin yelled at the child. Akika blinked again, confused. Noticing the anger in Rin's voice, Akika's eyes filled with tears.

"Aki… Aki sowwie, Rin-oneechan…" She whimpered. Rin immediately noticed her mistake and hugged Akika tightly.

"No… I'm sorry…" Rin whispered. "L… Let's go back… We were all worried and looking for you…" Akika shook her head and whimpered.

"Aki stay!" She said, whimpering. Rin tilted her head and noticed the drawing in the dirt.

"Wow Akika, you're an artist…" She smiled and knelt down beside the drawing. A few minutes of not returning wouldn't hurt…

"This mommy, an this daddy!" Akika smiled as she pointed out the two stick figures. Rin smiled warmly.

"That's a good job… You did a g--"

"Rin-oneechan think mommy an daddy can see dwawin…?" Akika cut off Rin's sentence. Rin, taken by surprise, stared at Akika. Akika looked up to the sky and whined, asking again. "Do chu think they can see aki's dwawin…?"

"Of…. Of course." Rin reassured.

"How do chu know…?" Akika asked. Rin blinked. She couldn't understand what Akika was trying to say.

"Well… When you're up there, you can see everything. You can see a big airplane, and also the smallest ant in the ground. Of course your parents can see your beautiful drawing." Rin smiled again. She placed a hand on Akika's head and patted it gently. She was already used to Akika's mood swings about her parents; it happened almost too often. Rin couldn't blame her though. Akika didn't know or remember her parents at all, since her father left her mother before she was even born, and her mother died when she was two.

"Can Aki go up there too?" Akika whimpered.

"When your time comes, yes." Rin frowned. "But it's not your time yet. You still have to live at here first before you can go up there."

"When Aki tuwn ten, then Aki go up there?"

…….

It was a long, silent pause. Rin chocked her words out.

"Y… Yes…"


	9. School Play pt1

Chapter 9

School Play (pt1)

"Akika Mido." Rin stood at the door of the kindergarten after it ended. She watched the teacher's eyes widen in surprise.

"Akika-chan?" Suzan blinked. A smile slowly came to her face as Rin nodded. Suzan bowed her head in respect and went back into a classroom, leaving Rin. Rin stood and waited for the teacher to return.

"Mama! Mama! I'm playing the tree!" A small boy said as he smiled up to his mother. Rin turned her head to the mother and child and blinked. The little boy wasn't that cute; no wonder he was getting something small. He had snot running out his nose, and his clothes were covered in mud from recess. Rin shook her head in disgust and was relieved Akika wasn't like the boy.

"Rin-oneechan!!!" Akika jumped out her classroom that had windows with apple stickers all over. Her name tag also had an apple sticker on the corner. Akika was in the Apple Class. There was also a Cherry Class and Melon Class, along with the classes for older children, Strawberry Class and Banana Class. Rin smiled warmly and picked up the giggling child.

"Rin-oneechan come to pick up Aki?" Akika asked, tilting her head. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. It was the first time someone came to pick her up from school. Rin nodded, and Akika squealed with joy. Akika hugged Rin tightly.

"Akika-chan, you forgot your costume!" Suzan rushed with a small bag in her arms. She handed the bag to Akika. "Here you go. Make sure you practice well!"

"Yes ma'am!" Akika lifted her hands and put it over her yellow hat, pretending to be like a cartoon character that was popular in school. Suzan giggled and did the same pose, playing along with her student.

"See you tomorrow Aki-chan!" Tsubasa poked his head out the door and waved. Akika waved back, smiling happily.

As Rin walked out, she carried Akika in her arms. Akika giggled and talked about her day in school, skipping the bad parts about having to eat lunch with Sayumi and getting into the time out corner by accidentally hitting Ken, an older boy in Banana Class, with a dodge ball during recess.

"An then, Aki get part of the bear!" Akika smiled. Rin stopped and turned to face the smiling kid.

"A bear?"

"Mhm! Aki pwaying a bear the bwings Sally into magic pwace!"

"Who's playing Sally?" Rin asked.

"Sayumi-chan. She no match though…" Akika pouted, her cheeks puffed out slightly. Rin laughed and started walking again.

"Now now, no being mean, ok Akika?"

"Aki know…" Akika sighed and tried to get down. Rin placed down the child and watched what Akika was up to. Akika opened her bag and held up her bear costume. Rin smiled and held the costume up to Akika. She looked so cute in the bear costume, with the teddy bear-like ears and a round, yellow belly mark. Rin could tell though, however, that Akika didn't like her part. The horse sighed and smiled to the little girl.

"Akika, let's go show this to Grandpa Shigure, ok? I'm pretty sure he'll be proud of you!"

"…?" Akika tilted her head and nodded slightly.

* * *

"Aww, Aki-Chan, this is so cute!" Shigure commented as he held up the costume to Akika. Akika didn't say anything, but just nodded. Rin smiled as she watched Shigure try to make Akika feel proud about being a bear. Shigure noticed as well that Akika didn't want the part the minute he held the costume up to look at it.

"…" Akika stood silent and just listened to Shigure's comments, until Shigure sighed and turned to Rin.

"Rin, don't you think it'll just be good to ask Akika's teacher to change the roles of the class?"

"It's not that easy." Rin sighed and knelt down in front of the five year old. She smiled and took the costume from Shigure and folded it up. "Akika, let's practice."

Akika shook her head and ran off to Tohru's room. Rin frowned and tilted her head.

"Why doesn't she like it?" She asked herself. "I think she looks cute in it…"

"Rin, you also have to remember that Akika is a girl…" Shigure sighed. He knew little girls loved to dress up like princesses and meet their imaginary prince. Rin sighed.

"But… I don't feel that that's the only reason…"

* * *

"Akika!" Rin called and raised the script for the school play. Akika turned her head away from her dolls and frowned, turning back. Rin sweatdropped and knelt down beside Akika, showing Akika the script.

"Akika, let's practice!"

"Aki no need to…" Akika answered. She made the girl doll hug the boy doll and sighed. "Aki no haf anything to say in that anyway…"

"That's not true, you have lines!" Rin reassured. Akika's eyes narrowed a bit. She hated being bugged by the stupid play she didn't even want to play a part in.

"Just two." Akika said. "Just two wines. 'Oh girl, are you lost' and 'I'll bring you to the magic wonderland'. See? Aki alweady wemember it."

Rin couldn't help but to twitch.

"Well, yes… But you have a lot of movement to do in this scene." Rin said, trying to get the kindergartener's attention.

"Rin-oneechan gonna come an see Aki's pway?" Akika asked. Rin blinked and shook her head at the question. Akika saw Rin shake her head and turned back to her dolls. "Then Aki no pwactice…"

Rin's eyes widened.

"Akika, you know I can't make it to these stuff… I have school too, you know?"

"…" Akika stayed quiet as she continued to move her dolls around.

"Akika?" Rin blinked. She sighed and reached out to the child and started to play with the girl's red golden hair. "Akika, what's wrong? You never complained about these stuff before… You should already know that I can't go…"

Akika frowned and put her dolls down before she pushed herself up onto her knees with her hands. The small girl didn't say anything as she stared at the script.

"…"

"Akika?"

"…If Rin-oneechan no come see Aki's pway, then Aki no do pway at all…" With that, Akika got up onto her feet and ran out the room and down the stairs. Rin just watched the girl leave and looked down at the script she had in hand, wondering once more.

_But…__ She had several plays before… She never complained about everyone not coming… Why now? Why does she complain now?_ Rin thought. Her frown deepened as she tried to think of the reason.


	10. School Play pt2

Chapter 10

School Play (pt2)

"So Akika-san, when's the play?" Tohru asked cheerfully during the dinner. Rin had told everyone about the play to hope some of them would help her convince Akika to be the bear. Tohru was the first to try. She watched as Akika went silent and didn't answer, continuing to eat her food. Rin glared at the child as a warning to make her behave, but Akika didn't care.

"Rin-oneechan's not coming, so Aki no care." Akika mumbled finally. She nibbled onto the soft boiled carrot and said nothing else. Tohru sweatdropped.

"Akika, you got the part of a bear, right?" Yuki tried. Akika just nodded and continued to eat. "Wow… that's great! You would be a great bear!" Akika listened and said nothing, her eyes narrowing slightly in anger. Rin sighed; another failure.

"Just let her have the part she wants." Kyo grumbled. Akika blinked and looked up at Kyo.

"It's not that easy!" Rin shouted. She clenched her fists and turned to the panda girl. "Akika, stop being a baby and just accept your part as a bear! Don't make it hard on any of us!"

"Aki no wanna be in the pway!!!!" Akika yelled back angrily, tears coming in her eyes. She excused herself from the table rudely and ran up to Tohru's room, never to show her face to them again for the rest of the night.

* * *

"I really don't know what's wrong with her. What do you think I should do?" Rin frowned as she turned to Haru. The cow shook his head.

"Rin, you've told me about that girl several times already, but not once I have spoken with her. I might need to know what kind of personality and stuff she has by meeting her in order to help you…"

"I know." Rin nodded. She looked down and sighed softly. "But… Akito won't allow her to meet the zodiac members. I don't want her to get her into any other trouble…"

Haru watched the horse sigh and stand up straight. She brushed herself off and turned to the cow, tilting her head. "How do you think I can fix it?"

Haru couldn't do anything but to shrug, leaving the problem all up to Rin.

* * *

"_Oh girl, are you lost?"_ Akika asked Sayumi during practice. Sayumi sighed and shook her head, and a frown appeared on Akika's face. She has been saying the same line for the past hour, and Sayumi was never satisfied with it. "What now…?" The little panda asked.

"You have to say it more causually!" Sayumi commented. "And bend low, remember? I'm the princess!"

"But the bear doesn't know about that…" Akika frowned. The teacher was out of class, getting ready for the play that was coming up. The students were all in the classroom, practicing. Sayumi had decided to give Akika a hard time by stopping her at every little thing she could find.

"Try it!" Sayumi said angrily. Akika whimpered and nodded, and bent down low. She corrected her voice. _"Oh girl, are you lost?"_

Sayumi sighed. Akika frowned. The girl with pigtails shook her head and thought for a moment.

"Nevermind, I should have known a loser like you can't act." Sayumi finally commented. Akika twitched slightly. She whimpered and looked to the small book in her hand; the script. The script had easy writing on it, making it easy for children to act it out. Finally, she turned the page to look at her other line.

"Sayumi-chan, let's try this one then… Maybe Aki can do it betta…?" Akika smiled and held the book up to her classmate. Sayumi blinked and turned to the book.

"Hm? Oh, that crappy line. Ok." Sayumi grinned. She raised her eyebrow when Akika took her hand.

_"I'll bring you to the magic wonderland!"_ Akika said her line, using her high voice. Sayumi sighed and pulled her hand away. Akika blinked. "Was that bad?"

"Why did you have to hold my hand?" Sayumi asked, annoyed.

"It says in book… It says _'Characters hold hands. They run to the door'_… So Aki hold hand…" Akika answered and tilted her head. She could tell that Sayumi was getting really mad.

"I don't want to hold hands with you!!" Sayumi yelled. "You're weird! I don't want to hold hands with a weird girl! Even my mom's coming to watch! I don't want her to think I'm friends with a girl like you!"

Akika's eyes filled with tears. She was just trying to do a good job on acting, why did she have to be yelled suddenly about that?

Tsubasa rushed to Akika's side. He frowned and patted Akika's back, though, he couldn't say anything to Sayumi either. The teacher returned right after that, and the practice for the day was over.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Akika?" Rin asked as soon as they returned to Shigure's house. Akika ran up the stairs and into Tohru's room, closing the door. Rin rushed after and opened the door, only to see the five year old on the bed, crying. Rin blinked and slowly approached Akika.

"….Aki?" She whispered softly.

"Aki no wanna go to school…. Aki gonna stay home…" Akika cried. Rin sat on the bed and placed a hand on Akika's head. Akika flinched and continued to cry.

"Aki dear? What's wrong?" Rin asked, rubbing Akika's head. Akika continued to cry.

"Aki no wanna go… Aki no gonna haf anyone watchin anyway, so why should Aki go to school an pwactice hawd with meanie Sayumi-chan?"

Rin's eyes widened. She frowned and carefully lifted the small girl in her arms, squeezing the form tightly. Akika had people watching her plays usually, whether it was her mother or father, or even Akito. None of them cared, but they still went and watched out of boredom. To Akika, however, it was the only way she could think people cared about her.

"…Aki, your real mother would be watching your play…" Rin said after a long moment. Akika sniffled and slowly looked up to the horse.

"How…?"

"You don't remember?" Rin smiled gently. "She's up in the sky, she can see everything. She'll be watching your play."

"….Weally….?"

"Yes." Rin nodded. She continued to hug the kindergartener. Akika continued to sniffle and slowly stopped crying.

"Then.. Then Aki twy best… Aki be best on there…"

The horse laughed a bit and kissed Akika's forehead, making the child smile happily. "I bet you would be the best on the whole stage."

* * *

The day of the play came. Rin was at school, as well as Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo. Shigure had to go to a meeting for his new book publishing. Akito didn't know of the play, just like Akika's adoptive parents. Akika was on her own with no adult in the audience watching her as much as they watch their own children play.

Still, the little cursed girl stepped out to the stage and played her part; the bear. Sayumi glared at her at what she didn't like about Akika's part, but what could she say? Nothing. Sayumi couldn't do anything but to play along as her own character.

After the play was done, Akika stepped out her school and sighed, looking at the parents and teachers, as well as her classmates. Each child had their own parents to praise them for how well they did in the play. Pulling her yellow hat down to hide her face, the little girl walked out the school gates towards Shigure's house.

She then suddenly stopped when she could see someone in front of the Sohma house's door. Akika's eyes narrowed slightly. She whimpered and hid in the nearby bushes, watching her adoptive mother banging onto Shigure's door. On her back, the little baby with black, messy hair slept.

"….Eh…" Akika whimpered and continued to hide in the bushes for a while, continuing to watch the woman bang on the door when no one was inside.


	11. Memories pt1

Chapter 11

Memories pt1

"Is anyone in here?" Akika's mom hollered. She knocked the door several times before finally turning away, finding the black haired man walking to her. "Oh, are you the owner of this house?" The woman asked politely. Shigure nodded and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am." Shigure answered. He never expected a visitor; better yet a stranger to come to his house.

"I'm Sakura Mido." The woman said. She then frowned and looked to the house. "I want to see my daughter…"

"Mido?" Shigure blinked. He sighed when he heard the baby on Sakura's back starting to cry. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't know anyone with the name of 'Mido'. You possibly have the wrong house."

"No I don't!" Sakura shouted. "Akika Mido, the little girl of mine! I want to see my girl!"

Shigure flinched. He had no other choice; this woman knew exactly what she was talking about. "Ok, Sakura-san… Just calm down. Aki-Chan hasn't come home yet… Maybe we could let you rest with your baby in my house until she returns…"

"Ok…" Sakura nodded and was lead inside the house.

Akika watched and panicked. She whimpered at the sight of her mother entering the house; now she didn't even want to touch that doorknob. Soon, pain struck Akika's head. She winced and held her head tightly, whimpering. She was trying not to remember her short past, but it was hard. Finally the child gave in and closed her eyes, and flashbacks came to her mind.

* * *

_"Mama!__ Mama!! Look!" The two year old little girl pointed to a dog. A blacked haired woman smiled and nodded. _

_"What is that?" She asked her daughter. The child giggled._

_"Puppy!"_

_It was __Akika's__ second birthday. She was just starting to talk and was able to walk with her squeaky shoes on. She never knew her father, but she didn't mind. __Akika__ was happy enough that she had the greatest mother on Earth. The child felt a hand on her head and blinked, looking up slowly. Her mother rubbed the girl's head, praising her daughter. _

* * *

"…!?" Akika came back to herself and looked around. She was still hidden where she was, nothing has changed. Her head still was hurting. 

"Mii…" The girl mumbled to herself and slowly stood up. She started to walk away from Shigure's house and went to a park, where she climbed up a tree and watched a little boy playing with his father. A lonely frown came to Akika's features as she continued to watch.

* * *

_"Good job, __Akika__!" __The same black haired woman from before said happily as her daughter patted the sand into a shape of a mountain, which, she explained, was a castle.__ The mother clapped her hands and looked amazed at the pile of sand. "That's a beautiful castle!"_

_"When Aki get big, Aki __gonna__ live in one castle __wike__ this one!" The two year old smiled. "An Aki __gonna__haf__ a __pwince__mawwy__ Aki, __an__ we __gonna__ live happily __eva__ after! __Wike__ Cinderella!"_

_"That's a great future!" The mother smiled to her daughter. She then suddenly stood up, supporting her round baby-belly as she moved. __Akika__ got back on her feet._

* * *

"Mammy, I don't want to go home! If Mana wants to sleep she can sleep by herself!" 

A little girl's voice interrupted Akika's thoughts. She watched the two, possibly three year old little girl try to pull her mother back into the park. In the mother's arms, there was a crying baby. Akika couldn't help but to stare until the three females left, then went back to her thoughts. The park always made Akika think of her past. Rin said Akika doesn't remember them, but that was the result of Akika not wanting to remember them and pretended to not know anything at all.

* * *

_"Hurry!!!__ Get her to the hospital now!!"_

_Doctors yelled. An ambulance was parked outside. __Akika's__ mother was breathing hard and bleeding, but the baby was not due yet. __Akika__ blinked in confusion as the next door teenager came into the house and lifted __Akika__. She was fourteen, and had long brown hair and green eyes. Her name was __Rinka__. As the ambulance drove away, __Rinka__ kept __Akika__ tightly in her arms. __Akika__ blinked sleepily and fell asleep immediately after._

_oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

_Two days passed after the night. __Rinka__ watched __Akika__ at her house with her mother and father. The phone rang suddenly on that day, and __Rinka__ picked it up. _

_"Hello? Oh, are you ok!? __….Yes…__ Yes…. Oh, she's fine…. __What!?"_

_Rinka's__ eyes widened. She just nodded to the phone and __Akika__ watched from the room she was told to wait in until __Rinka__ returned. __Rinka__ nodded again._

_"Sure…"_

_After that, she hung the phone up and stood there, silent. __Akika__ frowned._

_"What's wrong…?"_

_"…Aki-__chan__, let's go see mommy. You want to see mommy?"_

_Of course, the small child nodded. __Rinka__ frowned and lifted the toddler, and rode a taxi to the hospital. She carried __Akika__ to her mother's room and placed her on the floor._

_"Listen, Aki-chan. __Don't__ say ANYTHING about the baby. We're here to see your mommy, not your baby brother. Ok?"_

_Akika__ blinked in confusion but nodded. __Rinka__ smiled in relief and opened the door and __Akika__ ran into the room. __Akika's__ mother rested in her bed, exhausted. She had a miscarriage. _

_"Mommy…?"_

_"…__Akika__." __Akika's__ mother said as she turned to her daughter. __Akika__ smiled happily at the sight of her mother, but the next second, felt a hard slap across her cheek. __Rinka__ watched and quickly rushed to the child's side. __Akika's__ mother's eyes were narrowed with anger._

_"YOU KILLED MY SON!!" She yelled. __Akika__ yelped in fear and curled up behind __Rinka__. She trembled in fear, not knowing what just happened. Her mother blamed her for her unborn brother's death. _

_"It's all your fault! You killed him!" __Akika's__ mother continued to yell. "You are a murderer!!! I knew having a cursed child was a bad thing, but not THIS bad!! I was going to have a normal baby, and what do I get!? _

* * *

Akika's eyes narrowed. When she was so young, she didn't understand what her mother was talking about. Now that she was at least a little older, she understood a little. She didn't understand lots of the vocabulary her mother used at the time; still, not even now. But she knew the basic line of what her mother was trying to say. She was blaming Akika for a death when Akika did nothing. But as soon as anger built into the child, soon guilt, sadness, and loneliness filled her instead.

* * *

_As __Rinka__ talked to the doctors about __Akika's__ mother and her health, __Akika__ snuck away.__ She walked to her mother's room and slowly opened it. Her cheek was still a bit red from the slap, but the feeling of fear was now gone. She wanted to check if her mother was fine._

_"Mommy…?"_

_"__Akika__…" __Akika's__ mother whispered. She turned her head to face her worried daughter, tears in her eyes._

_"I… I can't handle this…. Why did you have to be born? Why did you have to destroy my life?" __Akika's__ mother said weakly. __Akika__ frowned. She didn't know what her mother was talking about, but her mother's voice sounded depressed. That was all that needed to make __Akika__ feel guilty. _

_"Aki __sowwie__…" __Akika__ mumbled. She didn't know what she was apologizing about, but the little girl hoped the apology would make her mother a bit happier. Instead, it was the complete opposite._

_Akika's__ mother's face stained with tears. The woman cried._

_"No, I'm sorry… I am not fit to be a mother… I blamed my own child for a miscarriage… That is unforgivable…"_

_"__Mii__…?" __Akika__ frowned._

_"__Akika__, do you see that bowl?" The mother pointed to a blue bowl filled with water for the patients' vomits. __Akika__ nodded._

_"Aki see it!"_

_"…Hit me with it."_

_"__Nya__…?" __Akika__ blinked. "That'll __huwt__! Aki won't do that!"_

_"I'm telling you to. And when mommy gets __a boo__boo__, don't stop. Continue to hit me."_

_"Why…?"_

_"Mommy likes it when __Akika__ will just listen…"_

_"….? __Okie__…"_

_Akika went to the bowl and carried it to her mother. The woman lifted her head a bit so that the child would be hitting her at the point she'll die the fastest. Akika started slamming the bowl down to her mother's head, not realizing she was bashing her mother's head where she would be dying. Soon, after a few hits, Akika's mother died. Akika stopped after a while, tired, and slumped down. She saw blood all over the bowl and on her hands, as well as on the bed and her mother's smashed head. The two year old blinked and whimpered, then soon screamed. She has just made her mother die and never return. Akika didn't know that fact, but she knew her mother was not moving…_

* * *

Author's note: Now people should be getting the idea of why this story is rated T, possibly higher xD I hope the people reading this won't get sick n.n; Thank you for reading though, and please R&R! The next chapter is currently being worked on! x3 


	12. Memories pt2

Chapter 12

Memories Pt.2

_"What!? What's going on in here!?" _

_Nurses rushed into the room only to find the bloody woman on the bed and the toddler screaming beside her. The nurses' eyes widened. They rushed to Akika's mother and checked her and noticed she was dead. They turned to the crying child. One of the nurses lifted Akika and huggled her._

_"It's alright! It's ok… Everything's ok…" The nurse comforted Akika._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akika couldn't remember anything after that, not up to a point at least. She was probably in too much shock seeing the blood everywhere, and couldn't remember anything for a bit afterwards. She sighed softly trying to remember what happened next, and her eyes soon softened.

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_"You want to raise her!? Do you know how old you are!?" Rinka's father yelled. Rinka bowed her head and frowned._

_"But father, she's lost her mother. Her father's trace cannot be found! She's alone, we can't just let her live alone, she's only two! She'll die!"_

_It was a long time before the father nodded, giving a deal. He said he never wanted to feel as if he's taking care of another child; that one child was enough for him. Rinka was happy. She hugged the sleeping todder tightly in her arms and kept telling her; she's the new mommy of Akika. _

_Years passed. Akika and Rinka were now like a perfect mother and daughter; though from age wise, people thought they were sisters. Rinka brought Akika almost everywhere she went, and Akika was soon starting to forget the fact her real mother was dead; that Rinka was her real mother… _

_Rinka was sixteen and Akika was four when the big twist came to Akika's life again. They were walking home after shopping for the dinner of the night, when a man with a __knife was running away from a robbery. Akika and Rinka saw the man. The older female protectivly grabbed the small girl and hugged her tightly. The robber spotted the two females and grinned maniacly. Akika didn't understand quite yet of what was going to happen, but it was something bad for sure. The man quickly lifted his knife and stabbed Rinka straight into her head. Blood spurted __out the teenager's head as Rinka fell to the ground, limp; dead. Akika's eyes widened as she remembered her mother. People all over were screaming and pointing the the robber that ran off, but Akika was in too much shock to react anymore. Her mind went blank and white, as she continued to just stare at Rinka's dead body._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"She couldn't protect my daughter! She's a devil!!" Rinka's father yelled as he pointed to the four year old in the corner in the room. The girl whimpered softly, but was quickly hushed by the father's angered screams. The mother tried calming her husband, but it was no use. _

_"Get rid of that little devil! Get rid of it now!!"_

_With that, the angered male kicked Akika. Akika coughed up blood and accidently clung onto the man's leg, making her transform almost immediately._

_"What… What the fuck is that thing!!?" Rinka's father screeched after he flung the red panda away from himself. "That thing isn't a devil!! It's not even a human!!"_

_"She's… Weird." The mother said softly. She walked out the room as Akika lifted herself with her black paws, wincing. Rinka'__s father grinned a bit, his mind twisting up already. Rinka's mother couldn't handle it anymore, she left the house afterwards and never returned, leaving Akika alone with the father of Rinka._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"….!?" Akika quickly came back to herself. She didn't want to remember what the man did to her for the next few months. She had to clean the house daily, and if the father saw one dust floating in the air, she got spanked until she couldn't sit down. He also made Akika massage his feet. Seemed easy? If the man didn't like the way she was massaging his feet for the day, Akika got kicked into the wall until she felt as if she had a few broken bones.

The job Akika hated the most was washing the dishes. Being four years old at the time, Akika still didn't have the finger skills needed to hold the slippery plates. She would break the dishes often by mistake, and if that happened, Akika wasn't allowed to eat for a few days, if Rinka's father was in a good mood that is. If he wasn't in a good mood, he would lock Akika up in her room for the next few days. When Akika had to do other jobs, she was to wear a leash so she still was connected into her room. All other rules still applied as well, so there was times when Akika would be locked up and couldn't sit down from the pain everywhere.

Akika was also not allowed to use the toilet in the house where Rinka's father went. He would make Akika wear the biggest diaper he could find in the store for at least three days straight. He would then change it himself, letting himself getting a good view of the girl before putting another diaper on.

Akika blinked as she noticed herself trembling in fear. The five year old started crying as she remembered her harsh days with Rinka's father.

"Aki-chan?" Akika heard someone call. The little girl quickly wiped her tears and looked down at the now-empty park. Everyone has gone home, but there was one boy staring up at her from the swings. Tsubasa.

"Tsubasa-kun…" Akika said softly as she smiled at her classmate. Tsubasa blinked at Akika's faint smile and blushed slightly. The boy had feelings for his classmate, but knew that he didn't have the courage to ask her out just yet.

"Are you crying…? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Tsubasa asked worriedly. Akika just shook her head at each guess and continued to smile faintly.

"Aki fine… Nothing wrong…" She said in her soft voice. Tsubasa frowned as he pointed up into the tree where Akika sat. He then started laughing slightly as he stared up to his crush.

"Nothing wrong? Aki-chan, it's been four hours since school ended…! You're still in your school uniform!"

Akika sweatdropped. She nodded and giggled slightly as well after taking look of herself, just remembering that she hasn't changed her clothes yet. She blushed a bit in embarassmant.

"Ah…."

"Tsubasa!! Time to come home, honey!" Tsubasa's mother called out. Akika frowned as she watched Tsubasa wave to her and run off with his mother…

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for people who are enjoying reading this story! I just started school and I need to get good grades, so I couldn't get to putting this story up. It's been done for quite some time though... I'll upload more later on, this story in my computer is already complete xD Um... R&R please?? 


	13. Memories pt3

Chapter 13

Memories pt3

It took a while for Akika to come back to herself; getting her attention away from the street Tsubasa ran off to. The little girl whimpered and shook her small head, letting her hair hit the pink flowers in the tree that replaced the green leaves for the Spring it was. Cherry Blossoms. The flower itself would've been beautiful in other's eyes. The clolor was soft and the petals took over the wind and went for a ride until they finally reached the ground. Toddlers picked up the petals on the ground and considered them pretty, when the truth was, they were dead. The flower petals enjoyed their last moment of being a petal by getting to glance around the town in a rollercoaster wind.

The thought brought tears into Akika's eyes.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_"Ok everyone!" Akika's preschool teacher said on Akika's first day of school. Akika's 'father' finally allwed the abused child out and to school for the very first time. "Today's homefun, I want you to ask your Mommy and Daddy of what your name means! Oh, if you already know, it'll be great if you could come up and tell us now!"_

_A little boy raised his hand. The teacher smiled and let the boy come to the front of the class. He smiled._

_"My name is Ichiro!" The boy said proudly. "Ma and Pa said it mean 'First Boy'!"_

_"Ichiro-kun has two sisters, right? Both older ones?" The female adult asked in a cheerful voice, hoping to let the other students in the class figure out why Ichiro was named the way he was._

_"Mhm! Nako and Momo!"_

_"I see! I bet your Mom and Dad love you very much to give you that cool name!"_

_"Hehe… I love Ma and Pa too! I'm gonna marry Ma when I get big!"_

_"That's great!" The teacher said. She let the marriage comment slide. Ichiro sat back down on the floor, just when a little girl raised her hand._

_"Maruko-chan, come up!" The adult said happily for the participation. Maruko stood up and walked to the front of the class._

* * *

_"S…Sir?" Akika asked in the cage on the way back. As Akika sat in a kennel in the back, Rinka's father drove the rich car. The man litterally growled in annoyance._

_"What?"_

_"What does… Aki's name mean?"_

_"'Autumn Flower'." Was the man's answer._

_"Oh…"_

_There was a long silence before Akika gained enough courage to ask the man another question. Afterall, it was confusing. Akika's birthday was in the Summer. Her real mother's birthday was in the Winter. Though never meeting him, Akika's mother celebrated Akika's father's birthday in the Summer as well. Where did 'Autumn' come from?_

_"Why Aki haf that name?"_

_The man thought for a moment. He heard the answer and knew what the true meaning for Akika's name; 'Autumn Flower' meant. But the name's history was too much filled with hope and wishes, as well as the mother's love for her only precious child, it annoyed him. He had a feeling that the moment he told the child the truth, she'll stop being an obedient slave she was currently. A twisted grin came across his lips. He noticed that if he changed the history for the name just a little, he could get the love-filled name become a hateful one._

_"Poor you…" The man started chuckling._

_"Eh…?" The girl in the cage tilted her head. She waited till the car arrived the house. The man then turned his head to face the kennel. Akika poked her fingers out the bars and frowned._

_"Your mother must've hated you, your name says it all. Do you know what happens to flowers in the Autumn?"_

_"They… Go away?"_

_"…They die. They live their stupid lives and die out. If you are a flower in the season, you'll die."_

_"…" Akika was speechless. Her eyes widened. She really loved her mother, she couldn't believe the fact that her mother gave her a name that simply meant 'death'. Unable to hear the man laugh due to her shock, Akika broke down. Doubts for the thought of someone loving her filled the small mind. _

_"M…Mommy won't do that… Mommy won't name Aki wike that…" _

_"Why do you think that?" The man grunted. Akika flinched at the deep grunt and trembled in fright. The man then suddenly narrowed his eyes angrily. "What is that stuff?"_

_"Aki's fwiends…"_

_"Stupid disgusting rats. They need to get off my property." With tthat, the cruel man started the car again. Akika yelped in fright for the safety for her 'friends'. Squirrels and birds all reacted quickly by spreading out away from the car's movement, but it was not quick enough. The man laughed maniacly and drove forward with full speed, straight for a certain little squirrel. Before the squirrel had a chance to jump up to a tree, the car ran over the fluffy animal, crushing it with the tires…_

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Akika heard someone call her name again; Rin. Rin rushed to the park where it was her first guess where she would find the girl. Behind her was Haru, the cow of the Sohma family. Akika's eyes widened in fear as she remembered Akito's strict orders about not meeting any of the zodiac members.

"Eh… Ah… R…." Akika frowned and quickly tried to hide herself more into the flowers, but it was too late. Rin already found the girl and reached up, easily lifting the girl off the tree. Akika looked to Haru and frowned, hiding her face into Rin's chest like a shy infant, but her body was trembling badly as she thought of the punishments she would get if Akito found out. Haru blinked as he faintly remembered seeing the girl a few times around the estate.

"Akika, this his Hatsuharu… I call him Haru." Rin said. She then turned to the cow. "And… This is Akika, the girl I talk about…"

"I've seen her a few times." Haru said before looking around the park. Rin hugged Akika tightly.

"Akika, Sakura's gone now. We can go home. Shigure made her go home for the day…"

"Aki…. Aki stay here."

Rin frowned but didn't listen to the girl. Haru smiled gently and nodded to Rin as Rin narrowed her eyes slightly. She ignored Haru's nod and turned away, walking back to Shigure's house for the day…


	14. Panda's Fate

Chapter 14

The Panda's Fate

_"Aki-chan, is it true that your have no mommy and that your daddy is mean?" The preschool teacher asked in a curious voice to the four year old girl. The small eyes of the girl glanced up to the adult and back down to the dirt ground. All true, except for the family positions. Yes, she had no 'mommy', but the male that was mean to her definantly wasn't her 'daddy'.

* * *

_Birds chirped when Akika was peacefully awaken from her sleep. She glanced around the plain room with nothing but a huge bed, a desk, and four concrete walls surrounding and isolating the room from other rooms in the building. She glanced up to the window and frowned sadly when she saw bars just outside of the glass. Something was definantly wrong; this was not Tohru Honda's room.

"Akika, watch the baby. I need to go to work. Don't leave the house. And don't you DARE filth my boy, understood!?"

Akika knew that voice; Sakura. She whimpered at the recognization of the voice and quickly answered, "Yes ma'am…"

The door slammed shut, making the five year old flinch. Followed by the door slam, the baby boy started to cry. The girl whimpered and rushed down to the nursery room.

Compared to Akika's room, the nursery room was looking as if it didn't exist in the same building with Akika's room, even if it did. It was colorful with pictures, drawings, and wallpapers of cartoon baby animals colored in soft colors. Akika had to climb the smooth, wooden crib's bars to finally be able to reach down and comfort her non-related brother. The baby blinked and giggled up to the girl.

"Sis!" The baby giggled. His dark green eyes closed as he smiled. Akika, relieved by the sight, smiled as she thought hard of how she ended up back at the Mido's residence.

"Sis, hug hug!" The infant smiled. Akika sweatdropped at the request and shook her head, allowing her messy golden hair to hit her cheeks.

"Kiseo… Aki can't. Kiseo-kun ish a boy…" Akika tried to explain, but the little boy Kiseo didn't understand. He pouted by puffing out his dark brown cheeks and reached up to grab his sister's pajama sleeve. He then dragged the light girl down into his crib, making Akika yelp in surprise. The boy then hugged the cursed girl tightly, making Akika transform. Akika whined as Kiseo cuddled Akika's fluffy body with all his might. Akika sighed in her animal form and licked Kiseo's arm, which made the baby giggle again. The girl was going to get in trouble later for this…

The animal stood still for a while until the boy got bored. He then fell over and asleep again, easily tired. The red panda wiggled her ears and sat down for a moment, staring down at the sleeping infant. She just remembered how she ended up back at this house. Sakura took her. Isuzu and Tohru must be worried and be looking around by now.

Thinking of that made Akika slightly nervous of what to do. She couldn't leave the house; Kiseo would be all by himself. She hated Sakura, but had nothing against Kiseo, though, for the first few months, she did hate him with her whole heart.

* * *

_"Hey, you!! Open the door!! This is the police!! We also have the people who told us about your abuse towards a four year old girl!! OPEN THE DOOR!!!"_

_The Sohma's private police busted the door open just as Rinka's father was about the hit the beaten girl. Akika was too weak to say a thing; she basically just stared lifelessly as the police grabbed the abuser and dragged him into the police car. A female officer rushed to the child and carefully lifted her into her arms. _

_"We're taking you to Akito… Do you know Akito Sohma?" The officer asked in a comforting, kind voice, Akika thought for a moment that the officer was an angel. She then came back to herself. The little girl glanced painfully up to the officer, who held the girl securly and patiently waited for an answer with a gentle smile. Akika slowly shook her head from side to side barely, wincing in pain from her neck being bruised from being grabbed so many times. _

_"Don't worry, Akito will take care of you… We have caretakers ready just for you…" The female adult said softly and rushed into another car, different from the one that took Rinka's father. Both cars headed towards the main house, but first the car Akika was riding turned towards Hatori's office. Hatori calmly walked out and took one, small look at Akika before sighing in relief. The police officers noticed the sigh and the relieved smile, and smiled back happily. Akika was then taken into Hatori's room, where she couldn't remember anything else afterwards. _

_xoxoxoxo_

_When Akika woke up, she was wrapped in several bandages and in bed. She looked at her arm and blinked at the cast. She tried to take it off, but Hatori walked in just at the moment._

_"Stop it. You need to keep it on." Hatori said and sighed. "You broke your arm and a few ribs…" He then saw Akika's clueless face and sweatdropped. "…You're basically very hurt, so don't move too much. You should be able to at least talk a little, can't you? Mind explaining where you got all your injuries?"_

_Hatori knew it all, but nothing worked out unless the girl admitted the abuse. In order to do that, he couldn't bring the abuser into the room or it could be a threat for the four year old. However, if Akika didn't admit the abuse, the man couldn't be arrested. He would be considered as just 'educating' her for the future; and if Akika didn't say anything to it, they had no choice than to agree with and free the man._

_"…Aki fell." Akika mumbled. She looked away from Hatori's stern face, getting nervous quickly. _

_"…Fell?" Hatori asked._

_"Mhm… Aki was trying to go down stairs, an Aki fall down… That how Aki get boo boo…" Akika nodded and forced a small smile on her lips. Hatori looked hurt at the girl's forced smile, but he couldn't say anything. He couldn't control what the girl said, what was said was said._

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Mii… Chu no believe Aki?" Akika asked and frowned. Hatori blinked and shook his head._

_"No, I don't."_

_"…But it twue… Aki fall down stairs." Akika said it through once more in a mumble. _

_"…Understood." Hatori sighed once more and stood up. He left the room to tell the police to release the man, but also told them to make sure the man couldn't see the girl ever again.__The man agreed and left, never to be seen by Akika again._

_xoxoxoxo_

_"Akito-sama, this is Akika Sohma." One of the maids said as she walked Akika into Akito's room a few months later. Akika blinked as she glanced at Akito, and tears quickly formed in her eyes. The maid smiled gently as she watched another one of a zodiac member crying in front of Akito. Akito, already having quite some temper problems, just rested her arm on the table and watched Akika shred tears. _

_"…Come in, my dear little panda…" Akito said in a soft voice, hoping for at least, this zodiac member wouldn't leave her like the others. She couldn't; Akika was too young to know what was right and wrong. Akika slowly walked into the dark room and sniffled. Akito continued to smile slightly as she stood up and hugged the child._

_xoxoxoxo_

_Akika lived with Akito for the next few weeks. Akito was very nice to Akika unlike she was to the other zodiac members. Every now and then, Akika saw a few maids stare at her weird from her being the missing animal, but Akito always told the little girl to ignore them. She often told Akika stories as well about how Akika herself was cursed._

_"Long ago, when the humans didn't exist yet, the animals roamed the earth. The God was the only 'human' known, but He never came down to the world full of animals, since He knew He was different. He was scared. He was nervous. He knew He was too different to join…"_

_"So what did God do?" Akika asked curiously. She watched as Akito grinned and placed a gentle hand on Akika's head. Akika tilted her head, confused._

_"The God called all the animals that lived on the same island as Him. He said He was going to hold a banquet, and He figured if He was different, He didn't have to join the humans, but He could join the animals instead…"_

_"…So… God made all the animals come?"_

_"He tried." Akito said as she rested her cheek on her palm, watching Akika's curious eyes blinking. "He tried to invite them all, but it's too hard to get them all, right? Of course one or two will be missing…"_

_"Mii…?"_

_"…The Rat told the Cat the wrong date of the banquet on purpose. He lied to his best friend. The Cat believed his best friend and told the Panda as well."_

_"Panda!" Akika said happily and giggled, making Akito pause for a moment. After a few giggles, Akito was finally able to continue. _

_"…The Panda believed the Cat. He said he'll make it with the Cat, but didn't realize that the date was a wrong one that the Rat told the Cat. So when the banquet morning came, the Panda and the Cat missed it. They couldn't be in the zodiac curse."_

_"Then… Why ish Aki hidden animal an not the Kitty?"_

_"…Because the Cat was the first person the Rat told. No one knew about the Cat telling the Panda until way later." Akito replied. She watched Akika lower her head sadly. It just didn't seem fair to her; the Cat got all attention of being one of the zodiac members, and here was Akika, a cursed girl, that had to be hidden to not confuse the story._

_"…That's in the past though." Akito said after a long, quiet moment. She then slowly reached out towards the child, who tilted her head again._

_"But Akika, here is something you must know… Because of what happened to the Panda and the Cat, it is said that the Panda has instincts to kill the Cat when seen it. It hates the Cat… Don't you?" _

_Akika nodded and frowned. "…But… Kitty do nothing wrong… Why Aki hate Kitty this much…?"_

_"It was built into you the moment you received the curse. You have immediate thinking of hating the Cat and wanting to kill it for leaving you out of the banquet. It can't be helped; just like you can't help but having golden eyes natually… But because of this thinking, one day, you will end up killing someone with your own will. I know you have killed your mother, but that was against your will… That had nothing to do with the curse… Well… Not the killing part, at least."_

_"…?" Akika, confused, just continued to listen._

_"It is also said that the Panda always ends up seeing blood from early age, to get used to it for when they really end up killing the Cat. It just occurs as if it was never planned out, though, it was somehow… Anyway, Akika. By the age of ten, you will definantly kill someone with your own will. Whether it is for fighting over toys, just being curious of using a gun, whatever; and it won't be pretty. Someone WILL end up dead. It can be one of my zodiac members, or it can just be your friends, classmates, teachers, or just plain someone you don't even know. And when that happens, it is my responsibility to rid of you. I won't be nice to just throw you out into the streets, you'll end up like your __mother; dead. It is the law for the red pandas to be killed as soon as they kill someone with their own will, to avoid them from killing anyone else; especially the Cat." Akito finally pulled her hand back and watched Akika's eyes fill with tears and fear. _

_"…Aki won't do that…" Akika said, whimpering._

_"…Possibly not yet, but you will soon." Akito replied sternly. "Until then, I suggest you enjoy your short life."_

_"…" Akika was speachless. Her eyes were wide as she remembered the blood flowing from her mother's head and how scared she was at the time. However, when Rinka was killed, she wasn't scared of the blood at all. She found the blood entertaining, in fact. Akika grasped her head and screamed loudly in furstration, when the maid knocked onto Akito's sliding door. Akito stood quiet, knowing the maid would enter whether she answered or didn't answer._

_Of course, the maid entered, but what she said was not what Akito expected. Akito expected the maid to be worried about the screaming, frightened girl, but the maid only walked to Akito and whispered._

_"Someone wishes to buy Akika." The maid whispered. Akito's eyes narrowed and glanced towards to the now sniffling child._

_"…Let me speak to them." Akito said before standing up and walking out the room.

* * *

_

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, now people know Akika's fate, I think not so many people are gonna want to read it anymore! xD Oh well, R&R please! The more reviews I get, the more faster I update!

BTW, Akika's little brother's name is two Japanese words combined. It's 'Kiseki' plus 'O'. Kiseki means Miracle, and O means boy. You'll understand more about Kiseo in the next chapter, he plays a big part in Akika's life! x3


	15. The Mido Family & Tsubasa's Confession

Chapter 15

The Mido Family & Tsubasa's Confession

_"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mido." Akito greeted by bowing slightly. The two bowed back politely and sat back down on the floor, letting Akito sit above them. Akito smiled gently a fake smile and started._

_"You wish to adopt a cursed child?" Akito asked. The two nodded._

_"Yes," The husband spoke. "We need a child to take over the Mido family. No matter how many times we try, we cannot success in having a child… We figured we should just adopt one, and heard there was a girl here having no parents. We know she is cursed by a Sohma's curse, and we are willing to still take her in. Will you allow it?"_

_Akito had no time to think about it. She just nodded and waved to the maids. "Let me let you see her first…"_

_The maid left and came back a few minutes later, holding Akika's hand. Akika tilted her head as her golden hair fell over her shoulders. The woman__, Sakura, __only seemed to beam with the child's cuteness. Seeing his wife's reaction, the man nodded. Akito just nodded back._

_"Is 200 enough?" The man asked, holding out a check. Akito nodded. She didn't need the money honestly, she just was worried for Akika's future. Letting someone other than a Sohma care for her was a huge risk. Akika was then bought at the spot by the Mido family like a puppy from a pet store. _

_Just when Akika was going to go to her new house not too far away, Akito knelt down beside her. She then whispered into Akika's ears._

_"Live well like your name says, Akika." Akito encouraged. Akika frowned. _

_"…Aki no wanna…" She said, whimpering. "Aki no wanna die…"_

_"Die?" Akito asked, confused. She chuckled softly and shook her head. "No no, Akika… Your name, Autumn Flower, is a pretty nice name… It matches you so well. Your mother named you that as soon as she knew about your killing fate. She named you wishing you would still stand strong and alive, even if everyone else like you dies out. She wishes you to be one of the only Autumn flowers to survive and live."_

_"…Eh…" Akika said softly as she listened. She then heard her new parents call her, then bowed slightly to Akito. She then ran off to the Mido couple. _

_Akika thought of the Mido family as her own parents as much as she could, but it wasn't even a month with them until the Sakura Mido got pregnant. After figuring of their pregnancy, they threw Akika to the side and ignored her._

_"Mommy…?" Akika asked as her stomach growled with hunger. Sakura ignored the adopted, starving child. Akika frowned and whimpered again. "Mommy…? Mommy, Aki hungwy…"_

_"We don't have food." Sakura lied dully. She didn't want to move, thinking it would kill the baby and cause her to have a miscarriage. Akika whined as her tummy growled for food. As soon as Sakura heard the growl, she stood up. Akika smiled happily thinking she was finally going to be fed, and followed her mother into the kitchen. She kept staying as a 'good giwl' in order to not break Sakura's will to make her food, since Sakura ate up all the food Akika could make by just opening bags or warming them up. _

_"Aki can hewp mommy!" She said happily as Sakura got a small kettle and filled it with water and a box of instant macaroni and cheese, one that was able to be made if mixed with hot water. Akika's mouth watered as she watched her adoptive family member prepare food for her. _

_Just as the water begun to boil, Akika's smile widened. She waited for Sakura to pour the hot water into the bowl with the macaroni and the power cheese, and she did under Akika's excited watch. But when the child noticed Sakura was pouring too much into the bowl, making her meal like a cereal, she frowned._

_"Ah…, Mommy! Too much water…" She said softly, being careful not to anger Sakura. But the pregnant woman was angered enough that she had to make a meal for a child that wasn't even born from her. She yelled frantically saying she didn't want to adopt the child in the first place, and that she doesn't need her anymore because she already has a baby that was going to be born. __Akika just listened and frowned, ready to bare through another trouble-speech. But just as Akika was ready to look up and say she was sorry, her eyes widened at the kettle in her mother's hand above her head._

_"Sowwie!!!" Akika quickly yelled, but it was too late. Boiling water was poured onto her endlessly. It seemed forever until the water stopped, leaving Akika on the floor with her whole body burning and hurting, crying. Sakura sighed as she threw the kettle into the sink and grabbed the girl by her shirt. She then filled the tub with the coldest temperature, then dumped her adoptive daughter into it. Akika yelped again at the pain of the sudden cold water pressuring her burns. _

_"It'll stop the burns." Sakura mentioned and walked down the stairs. Akika climbed out from the tub and continued to cry, when she heard Sakura groan and scream from the first floor. Akika rushed down the stairs and saw her mother on the floor, holding her round belly. Frightened, Akika picked up the phone and dialed for the ambulance._

_xxx_

_"It's a baby boy. He's pretty big, but sure will live just fine." The doctor said as he handed the baby boy to Sakura. Akika waited outside the room, her eyes fixed to her feet which she swung back and forth._

_"I'm naming him Kiseo… He's my __**only**__ child…"_

_xxx_

_After that, Akika was ignored completely. No matter what Akika said, they just shrugged her off just as a fly. Kiseo was the only one who actually still accepted Akika into the family, though Akika couldn't figure that out until five months later._

_Akito still allowed Akika around, but as soon as Akito's sickness took over, Akito was full of stress, and the youngest who never told people around her about her abuse was Akika; it just so happens that she was the easiest target…

* * *

_

Akika frowned as she slowly got back onto her feet. She needed to return to Rin, no matter what. She could not live in this family and she knew it. Kiseo was fast asleep, and wouldn't wake up until at least her mother came home. The girl glanced at the clock; good. Not going to have to meet her if she ran away now.

Akika got changed and dashed out of the house. She ran as fast as she could, though, she couldn't get far before her classmate stopped her. Tsubasa.

Tsubasa saw the girl before she was able to cover her bruised arms and legs completely. His eyes widened, seeing his classmate in such state. He ran to the girl, who frowned. She was caught; he knew now that she was abused.

"Aki-chan, what happened to you!?" Tsubasa asked, running to the little girl. Akika looked down, her bangs covering her eyes. "Aki-chan?"

"…" Akika turned away, not having anything to say. She clenched shirt and noticed the fabric easily being torn. Her dull eyes widened as she looked to her sharp fingernails.

"Aki-chan, you need to go to the doctor…" Tsubasa said worriedly. "You're covered in boo-boos…"

"…" Akika continued to stay silent. She bit her lips; no one could know about her abuse. If told to someone, she could be taken away again, then she'd have no where to go. She wasn't going to risk that chance. Tsubasa frowned and waited for Akika to answer.

"…Aki-chan, I…" Tsubasa mumbled, blushing bright red, but the next moment felt himself drowning in liquid. He fell to the ground, bleeding from the throat that was cut open. Akika's nails were torn off, but her fingers were covered in Tsubasa's blood. Akika couldn't do anything but stand over her classmate that loved her the most, struggling to live as the crimson thick liquid continued to pour out. Within minutes, Tsubasa stopped breathing. Akika just stared at the now dead child's body, her eyes still covered with her bangs. Tears dropped to the ground; this was the end for both her friend and herself. That was certainly her 'own-will' kill.

* * *

Author's note: Yes, all planned out xD; It felt weird making my own characters kill eachother, but it certainly thickens the plot even more. D: What would Akika do now though? R&R, and wait for the next chapter to find out ;3. 


	16. Hidden Determination

Chapter 16

Hidden Determination

Akika stared at the dead boy for a long time, tears still dropping to the ground. She sniffled and wiped her eyes until she heard someone coming. Quickly, she knelt down beside the dead body and looked to her painful fingers. Four nails were needed to be found so the police couldn't find evidence for that part. She searched inside the crimson, now-cold blood, looking for her nails as she continued to cry. She then was stopped by her name being called from behind.

"…Akika…?"

"…Ah…" The frightened girl turned around slowly to find Rin behind her, her eyes widened at the sight of the dead boy. Akika trembled and started to whimper. She then started crying loudly, which Rin couldn't hear for a while, but finally did after she gathered herself together.

She knew about the Red Panda's curse and the rules as well. As soon as the red panda kills someone with their own will, they were to be killed as soon as possible.

The horse cursed teen glanced her pupils to the crying child, who trembled and hiccupped each time she took in a breath.

"Akika…" Rin frowned. She knelt down beside the girl and let herself peek to the child's hand, seeing it being blood-covered. Rin quickly figured this was no accident; Akika meant to kill the boy that was now dead in front of them.

"Rin-oneechan…, Aki sowwie… Aki sowwie…! Aki no wanna go yet…! Aki wanna gwow up an be wike Rin-oneechan…!! Aki no wanna go…!!!"

"Shh!!" Isuzu warned and lifted the girl, hugging her tightly and protectively. "Shh… Akika, you did NOT do this… You didn't do this… Understood?"

"But… But… Aki did… Aki killed him… He dead because of…"

"YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM!!!" Rin yelled, cutting Akika off. The panda went silent as tears flowed freely from her eyes. She then closed them tightly as Rin pressed the child tightly against herself, hugging her tighter. The bottom half of Akika's face got pressed against Rin's shoulder. Akika continued to cry silently and tremble in fright of getting killed. Isuzu's shoulder was now soaking with the girl's tears.

The horse closed her eyes as well, letting tears fall as she held the girl. She moved Akika so that she's holding her with just one arm, and then managed to find four fingernails in the blood. After that, she dashed off with the child to Shigure's house.

Shigure blinked as the door was busted open. He walked to the front door, and his eyes widened at Rin's shirt and hand, covered in blood, as well as the crying child with blood on her hand.

"What happened? Who hurt you?" He asked, walking to the phone to call Hatori. Isuzu immediately stopped the dog and glared at him with furious eyes.

"Don't you dare call anyone from the main house…" Isuzu said, breathing heavily. Akika watched with her tear-filled eyes, sniffling. Shigure blinked.

"Aren't you hurt?"

"No, we're fine." The teen said before walking into the house. Akika curled herself up against Isuzu's chest and shoulder, scared and not knowing what to do from now on. Akito was certainly going to come after her, and when it was figured that the panda was the one who killed the little boy, the consequences weren't going to be pretty at all. The thought made Akika tremble again.

Isuzu felt the trembling start again from the girl and sighed. She sat Akika on the floor in the living room, and started to clean the girl with the towels she brought from the bathroom right before she went to the living room. She sighed as her mind rushed with thoughts of what to do now as well. Akika had to be hidden if she didn't want to be killed, that was certain. But where?

Akito already knew Akika lived in this house currently. If she was to make Akika go back to the Mido's house, there was going to be no one to protect her when Akito figured and walked in to pick up the child and bring her to death. The main house was out of the question; Akito lived there. Almost everywhere Isuzu thought of seemed to shatter and not work at all.

"Mii…" Akika said softly as she winced from the towel rubbing against her injured fingers. Isuzu stopped and examined the fingers carefully, deciding finally that they were in no good shape. The nails could grow back, but it was going to take a long while. Until then, her skin that was originally protected from the type of bone had no protection what so ever.

"Stay here." Isuzu said as she wiped herself off as well. She walked back into the bathroom when Tohru walked in as well.

"Ah, sorry!" She said, but the bloody towel caught her attention immediately. Her green eyes widened as she pointed to the originally white towel.

"Isuzu-san, are you hurt!?"

"No." Rin said as she looked for something to help with Akika's fingers. Tohru blinked as she noticed the horse looking for something. She walked next to her and smiled gently, now feeling a bit relieved that it wasn't her 'friend's blood that was on the towel.

"What are you looking for?"

"Do you have bandages?" Isuzu asked back. She stepped back from the cabinet as Tohru nodded. She pulled out a roll of the white bandage.

"I thought you said you aren't hurt…"

"I'm not, Akika is."

"Akika-chan's back?" Tohru asked, her eyes beaming. She thought the girl was cute after living with her and taking care of her for several days with the rest of the family. Though, Rin's expression made her slightly worried.

"Isuzu-san…?"

"…" Isuzu walked out of the bathroom and into the living room. Akika was there, crying again, thinking of her dead classmate. Isuzu's eyes softened as she watched the girl cry without realizing the horse watching.

"Aki sowwie… Aki sowwie, Tsubasa-kun… Aki didn't mean to... Aki no know what happen, Aki was too… Aki dunno, scawed maybe…?"

"…Akika," Isuzu said softly finally after listening to the child for a moment. "Akika, hey."

"…" Akika sniffled as she turned around to see her sister-like figure.

"Akika, it'll be ok. I'll make sure Akito won't get to you. I promise." She then offered a reassuring smile, and held out her pinky finger. Akika stared at the older female's finger, and started crying again as she nodded.

Isuzu wrapped up Akika's nail-less fingers carefully not to hurt the child, but to not let it be too loose either. Akika whimpered as she watched her fingers being wrapped.

"Rin-oneechan…, Ish… Mommy an Daddy mad…?"

"Hm?" Isuzu asked, blinking and smiling gently.

"That… Aki killed. Are they mad…?"

"…They shouldn't be. You're their child."

"…But Aki killed…"

Isuzu lifted the child after the wrapping was complete. She then carried Akika into Tohru's room and let her lay on the bed. Akika blinked as she was covered up in Tohru's fluffy blanket.

"Rin-oneechan…?"

"Shh… Listen; just forget that you killed that boy. You didn't do it." Isuzu said sternly, making Akika frown and nod slightly. After seeing the nod, Isuzu smiled again gently and brushed the girl's bangs out of her face. "You need some rest. You don't want your fever rising again, right?"

"Mii…" Akika nodded faintly, knowing everytime something big happened on a day, she immediately got fevers. Though for the truth, she just nodded to make Rin smile and feel relieved. As Akika thought, Isuzu smiled and sighed in relief. She then got up and walked out of the bedroom.

Akika watched Isuzu walk out the door and frowned sadly. She wasn't lonely because Isuzu left. It was a whole another feeling that Akika felt deep inside. She had to fight on her own. This was the red panda's problem, not the horse's. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

xxx

"Akika-chan, dinner's ready!" Tohru called from the first floor. Akika rushed down the stairs with a teddy bear in her arm and a bright smile on her face. Isuzu blinked as she watched the child dash into the living room table to eat, and smiled gently feeling that Akika has forgotten about the incident earlier that day; or at least, didn't think too deep about it. She was determined to protect Akika no matter what cost, and it wasn't going to be long until Akito found out about the truth of the boy that had his throat slit open in the middle of the street.

Akika continued to put bright smiles on her face, though, her mind was filled with the sad and horrifying fate she had yet to face; Death. She tried to not show the fact she was still thinking about the fate; and it seemed to be working on everyone…


	17. Silent Child

Chapter 17

Silent Child

**"Yesterday, a boy was found dead in the middle of the 3****rd**** street near the big famous 'Sohma' residence. The boy's name was Tsubasa Sendou, and he was 5 years old. His throat was slit with what seemed like a pocket knife, or possibly nails of a child's size. We are taking this murder seriously. The parents of Tsubasa Sendou cry over their murdered only child."**

_**"We cannot believe our child was killed!"**_

**"The police checked the Kaibara Kindergarten to see if there were any problems there, but none could be found."**

Akito's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened to the TV news. She immediately figured the murder mystery's murderer; the panda child. The God looked to the calender; good, no schedules planned for the day.

"Kureno," Akito called. The former rooster walked into Akito's room.

"Yes?"

"Tell the maids that I'm leaving the house a bit from 4, in the afternoon of course." Akito ordered.

"Where are you going?"

"Eh, it's just a small walk, that's all."

xxx

At the same moment, Rin's eyes widened when she saw the TV news while helping herself to some coffee. She could only hope that Akito was not watching the same channel as her at the that very moment. Tohru blinked at the news as she started placing small servings of food in a pink, plastic teddy bear printed lunch box. Rice, eggrolls, two fried chickens, some tomatos and baby carrots like a miniature salad along with a few tiny pieces of asparagus, which Akika hated, was fit neatly into the lunch box. She then got a zip-up bag and washed some purple, fresh grapes, stuffing them into the plastic bag as a dessert.

"Such a horrible murder…" Tohru said sadly as she put both the lunch box and plastic bag into another bag, which had illustrations of more brown teddy bears, this time dancing. Rin hesitated, but nodded slightly.

"Aki awake…" Yawning, the five year old entered the room. She blinked at the bag on the counter and smiled lightly. The child then turned to the TV. Rin was relieved that now they were talking about another issue that happened in a different city. She knelt down beside the girl and started wrapping up Akika's whole hand, making Akika whimper. "…?"

xxxx

"We're leaving," Yuki said, walking off for school. Tohru and Kyo followed after the rat. Isuzu waved at them a bit and went inside the house to get changed into her school uniform as well. Akika was in the living room, all ready for school already, except for her hat that needed to be put on. She waited for Isuzu to get ready to take her to kindergarten and go to her own school as well, but while waiting, Shigure entered the room as well, scratching his messy hair. He held a newspaper in his other hand. Shigure saw Akika and smiled gently, and Akika glanced away.

"Akika-chan, I read that a boy in your school got murdered?" Shigure asked softly to the child, who flinched slightly. Shigure blinked at the girl's reaction, when Isuzu came into the room, ready in her school uniform and a bag in her hand. She narrowed her eyes to Shigure and the newspaper, then to Akika, who was staring at the floor. Isuzu rushed by Shigure and grabbed Akika's yellow hat. She placed the hat on Akika's head and tied the string under her chin. The older female then grabbed Akika's arm, making Akika wince slightly, and pulled her violently out of the house.

"Rin-oneechan…?" Akika whimpered the horse's name. Each time Akika slowed down even the slightest bit, Rin tugged onto her arm, making her wince and try walking faster to keep up with the horse. "Aki can no walk that fast…!"

Isuzu stopped suddenly, and Akika lunged forward, stumbling and almost falling forward at the sudden stop. The horse pulled the panda back to balance her on her feet, and Akika sniffled. She let herself stay quiet, listening and glancing to the teen. Isuzu knelt down and stroked her sister-like figure's bandaged up hand.

"You hit it hard when you were trying to climb a tree, ok?" Isuzu told Akika. Akika kept a frown on her face and nodded slightly. Rin noticed the lunch bag slightly open, hanging from the child's arm. She closed the bag all the way and smiled a bit. "Let's go, you're going to be late."

Avoiding to see Akika's frown, Isuzu alowed herself to start walking again, pulling Akika behind as the child bit her lips and looked down, letting Rin lead all the way. It hurt Akika slightly inside that Rin avoided to tell anyone, even Tohru, about her murdering her classmate. Isuzu acted as if nothing ever happened now; she acted as if she and Akika had nothing to do with Tsubasa's murder.

"Good morning, Akika-chan." Suzan said softly. Because of one of her young students getting murdered, she wasn't exactly in the best of moods. Yet, not to worry the other children in her class that she had to teach, she tried to keep a bright smile on when speaking to them. It was Akika, however, that was definantly more mentally and emotionally unstabled at the moment, not the teacher.

"Akika-chan, what happened to your hand?" The teacher asked as she knelt down and placed the child's hand in her own. She blinked at all the wraps, when Rin replied, seeing Akika was being a mute at the moment.

"She fell off the trees yesterday. She should be ok, though."

"I see…" Suzan said and continued to smile to Akika. "You'll get better in no time! You're a strong girl, right, Akika-chan?"

"…"

Akika said nothing. Not a single word. She pulled her hand away from the teacher's and walked into the building. Suzan frowned as she watched one of her students basically avoid her. She then turned back up to Rin, bowing.

"Have a nice day."

"Thank you." Rin said dully. She bowed her head back down slightly as well and walked out of the kindergarten gates.

* * *

"Ok everyone, I have some sad news…" Suzan said as she clapped in front of the classroom. All the students turned to her, some with toys in their hands.

"Tsubasa-kun had to move today. He couldn't say goodbye because he didn't know he was going to, it was just so sudden."

Some students whined. Tsubasa was one of the students who had a lot of friends from his friendliness. Akika, however, glanced down, her bangs covering her eyes sadly. Her bandaged hand clenched onto her uniform skirt as she just continued to listen. The teacher knew none of the students watched the news, they were kindergarteners. They rather played with the floor than to watch the news. Even if they did, they had no chance in understanding most of it.

"But I have the address of Tsubasa-kun's new home, so let's all write a good-bye letter to him today!"

Suzan chocked her words out, but all the students nodded and smiled. They believed her. She then glanced to Akika, who just stood in the corner, her hands still clenched onto her uniform. As all the other students ran off to get some paper and took out crayon boxes from their bags, Akika stared to the tile floor, her eyes filling with tears. Suzan tilted her head and walked to the sniffling child in the corner.

"Akika-chan, come on. Let's write a letter to Tsubasa-kun." She said, kneeling down in front of her. Akika looked up to her teacher with her tear-filled gold eyes, sniffling, crying now. Suzan blinked as she picked Akika up and hugged her tightly, while other students started on their letters. The adult then remembered the fact that Akika was either around no one, or the boy who 'moved'. Her eyes softened as she rocked the child back and forth.

"Shh…. You'll make new friends… He's probably happy in his new place too, he's going to be making lots of friends…"

"…" Akika just cried, her mind telling her the truth. Tsubasa didn't move. He wasn't making new friends in another city. He was dead. _Dead_. Dead because of her.

"Akika-chan, say something… You have said nothing the whole day so far…" Suzan frowned as she continued to comfort her young student. Akika just cried. Even Suzan got annoyed with the girl's cries after a while, and other classmates were complaining, telling her to be quiet.

"Akika Mido, stop crying. You're a big girl. One or two _moves_ from a friend or two won't hurt your life." Suzan finally said, her eyes narrowing in anger. She tried to be nice, but it didn't work. Akika's eyes widened at the angered voice, and suddenly screamed out. She screamed so loud that even Suzan had to place the girl on the floor and cover her ears.

"Akika-chan, shh! You're disturbing the class!" She said, scolding the child. But that only made it worse. Akika screamed louder and cried.

"Aki sowwie!!!! Aki sowwie sir, no be mad… No be mad pwease… Aki be good giwl, Aki sowwie..!!!"

The whole class jumped and stared at their screaming classmate, their eyes wide in surprise. Suzan's eyes widened as well, but she understood her student. She didn't know the little details, but there was definantly something wrong with Akika's family...


	18. Arrival to the Grave

Chapter 18

Arrival to the Grave

"A small panic attack and some illusions. Not something that will cost her life, but she seriously needs some rest." The school nurse told Suzan as she covered the girl on the bed that was now fast asleep. Akika was forcefully brought out of the class and into the nurse's office. The nurse managed to calm the child using a medicine that was used in hospitals for calming panicked patients and putting them in a temporary. After a while, Akika fell asleep, mumbling for Rin's support, protection, and comfort repeatedly.

"I should have noticed that the panic attack was coming…" Suzan said softly. The nurse stood calm as she started cleaning up the mess Akika had made while she was in her panicked state.

"It's not your fault, Ms. Hima." The nurse said. She started to sit on the computer chair, when Akika let out a high-pitched along with more mumbles.

"Aki sowwie… Aki sowwie…. Aki be good giwl…"

"…?" Suzan blinked. The nurse frowned as she listened, then turned to Suzan.

"Ms. Hima, you have other students to take care of. I'll send Akika home for the day." She said, picking up the phone. Suzan nodded and walked out the room back to the apple class. "Hello?"

"…" Answering machine.

"Can someone pick up the phone please?"

No one.

The nurse sighed as she picked up the phone book, calling another number.

"Hello?" Akito answered the phone, obviously annoyed a bit. The nurse noticed the annoyance feeling the voice had and hesitated for a second, though, quickly explained about Akika needing to go back home. A smirk appeared on Akito's features.

"Sure…" Akito replied to the phone. "I'll pick her up in just a few minutes…"

* * *

It wasn't long until Akito came to the kindergarten. Her eyes seemed to blind at the bright colors and cute pictures of animals on the walls and fences. As the car was drove into the gates with Hatori's drive, Akito grinned slightly at the children playing at their recess time. Some, especially the little boys, turned to the car and talked to their friends of how cool it looked.

"We're here." Hatori said dully. He had drove to this kindergarten so many times that the children's stares weren't something so different. Akito nodded walked out of the car and into the building. As soon as she reached the nurse's office, her eyes narrowed at the sleeping girl in the bed.

"Brat…" Akito glared. Akika looked so peaceful even in her sleep after she calmed from her panic state. She never had such peaceful sleep; why did this little girl do? Shaking her head slightly of the thoughts, Akito turned to the nurse, who smiled up at Akito kindly.

"She's sleeping right now… Do you want me to wake her?"

"No, it's alright." Akito replied. If Akika was to be awoken, she would fall in another panic of seeing Akito in front of her to pick her up. Akito knew the child far too well to risk that chance. "I'll just take her home like this. Would you sign her out?"

"Sure." The nurse smiled and turned to the computer, typing in Akika's name and signing her out of the school for the day. Akito nodded slightly and turned back to the sleeping kid. Carefully not to awake the child, Akito lifted Akika in her arms. The child was a lot heavier than before; she had been eating healthy now instead of the crumbs she sometimes got as a meal. Taken by slight surprise of the change in weight, Akito found herself supporting herself on the ground before lifting the child up more.

Akika was still just a kid however. She weighted no more than what she was supposed to; possibly still a little less than the average weight of her age. The nurse smiled and lifted Akika's hat and yellow bag, holding it to Akito's shoulder and slipping it on so it won't fall. Akika amazingly stayed asleep; the medicine she was given had literally passed her out in some deep slumber.

Akito carried the child to the car where Hatori waited inside, then closed the door. The car drove off back to the Sohma main house, when Akika slowly woke from her sleep. She yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily, looking around. Her eyes widened and she tried to rub them more, hoping she was still at school, but there was no success. Akika started to tremble in fear and looked around the car, noticing Akito and Hatori in the front. Out the window the child saw the familiar huge houses. She bit her lips to hold in a whimper and lay back down on the back seat. She closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, while thinking what she was to do now. Scream? Stay quiet? Cry? Yell?

When the car came to a stop, Akika noticed herself shaking badly in fear. Was she going to be killed here? Now? So soon? Tears formed in the frightened girl's eyes. The door next to her opened, and Akito lifted her from the back seat. Noticing the girl now awake and looking up at Akito with tear-filled eyes, Akito just smirked.

"Ah… Did you have a nice awakening?" She chuckled lightly. Though after waiting and getting no response from the sniffling, shaking child, she rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Don't worry. You're not dying today. Tell me; did you kill your classmate? A boy?"

Akika just stared up at Akito for a long time. There was nothing to hide. Akito knew it all already; that was why Akika was brought here in the first place. The little girl nodded silently in the slightest movement. Akito just looked back up, away from Akika and started walking. Akika couldn't bring herself to watch where she was being carried to; she was too frightened. Even though she knew now that she wasn't getting killed that day, it wasn't long till her life clock stopped ticking.

* * *

AN: xD Sorry for the slow update. I really appreciate all the reviews though; even if this story only has a few more chapters to go D: Thank you for the people who are still R&Ring though :D! It makes me really think I need to come back and update this story x.x

:D so yea... xD R&R please?


	19. Last Day

Chapter 19

Last Day

Akika winced as she was thrown into the car again. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up to Hatori, who kept the steering wheel in his hands. He blinked to the backseat and to Akito, not bothering to listen to the conversation. Yes, he was concerned for the child; but for now his own problems were enough to deal with. He had just seen Kana come back from the different part of city she lived in to look for her 'idol lover', and he had to try his best to keep away from her if he wanted to avoid trouble. Even though Kana had no memory of dating Hatori and now she was married to a new man, there was still a slight chance she might be asking questions Hatori rather didn't wish to speak of or answer.

"You have twenty four hours, starting from now." Akito told the young girl who was now sniffling, terrified. One day? Just a single day? 24 hours?

"You got it?" Akito glared to the child. She needed to finish off her buisiness and go on with life; even if part of it meant killing the child that was now looking up at her with her blurred vision from the tears. As she clearly watched the younger female give the slightest nod, she nodded to Hatori. Hatori closed the door and drove off to Shigure's without a word.

A knock came onto Shigure's door. Shigure answered it and blinked at the arrival of his old friend.

"Haa-san!" Shigure cried happily, jockingly. Though, after noticing the weird atmosphere, he quickly stopped and crossed his arm, getting serious and dark again. "What's going on?"

"The child you were keeping under your care…"

"Excuse me, no. Not my care… It was Rin's care; she just happened to live under my roof. Akika, right?"

"…" Hatori just nodded simply and looked back to his car, where the child slept after crying for a long time. "She has one day."

"I don't know what you are speaking of, Haa-san." Shigure commented. "I'm not the Sohma doctor who gets to know all secrets and events of inside the Sohma gates. I know of big parties and celebrations, but know nothing of the red panda. You should know more about it than me."

"…I suppose so."

With that, Hatori sighed and just walked back to his car where he could lift the girl out the vehicle. After doing so he placed the child on the cusions near the table, leaving a word telling Shigure to watch over her well, and left.

Shigure sat near the child, watching her sleep. He pushed the girl's golden red locks to the side and sighed, placing his chin on his free hand as he continued to play with the girl's bangs.

"One more day, huh? You had such a short life… I guess tomorrow morning will be the last time I'll see your face, Akika…"

xxxx

When the time for dinner came, Akika jumped awake and smiled at the meal. Hamburger steak and mixed vegetables, along with some rice to eat along with it. Akika ate up the food fast and purred. Isuzu asked how her school was and why she was home early, but Akika decided to lie, not wanting to make the atmosphere into a depressed one.

"Mii… Aki had hawf day… It was fun though…, Aki got to write letters…"

No one seemed to sense the sad mentions the girl made except for Rin. Though, she too, expected the girl to be sad because of her classmate's death; not her own. However, she stayed silent as for that as well and continued to eat the food.

Bed time. Akika slowly walked up to Tohru's room, taking in a small appreciate with every second she had of the last 24 hours. Tomorrow was going to be all the same for everyone else; morning, school, homework, talking with friends, eating dinner, and going to bed again. But to Akika, it was going to be different. Not wanting to think of it, she shook her head violently on the stairs and entered Tohru's room, where Rin lounged and read a book. She smiled up to the child that entered and patted next to her on Tohru's bed.

"Good job Akika! You knew your bed time today! Let's make sure we keep that up so you won't be sleepy every morning…" She teased, poking the child's nose as she walked closer. Akika's golden hues were covered with her eyelids for a moment when she was poked, but she quickly forced out a small smile.

"Hai… Aki twy hawd tomorrow too…" Taking in a pause, Akika looked to the book her sisterly-figure was reading. It didn't seem that exciting, but the little girl decided to give it a shot. Snuggling herself under the blankets of the bed, Akika figured it was ok to tell Rin now. No one was there except for the horse and her. If she were to speak of tomorrow's death of herself, no one but Rin would hear. As soon as the child saw the horse's gentle smile and hand cover her up with the blankets so she won't be cold however, Akika lost the courage to speak of it. Instead, she bit her lips and swallowed in her words, letting the small smile keep its place on her lips.

"Rin-oneechan…?"

"Hm?" Isuzu asked, proceeding to continue to read her book after she finished her task of covering up the child.

"…What chu weading…?"

"A story… A novel, actually… A suspence novel." The horse then blinked up to look at the child in the bed. Closing her dark eyes, Isuzu stiffled a small laugh. "A little too early for you to read this kind of book… Maybe when you're older."

"…No now…?"

"No, not now."

"Then what Aki can wead…?" Akika asked, frowning up to Isuzu.

"Well, there's picture books?" Isuzu replied, a bit startled with the girl's questions.

"Can Aki wead Rin-oneechan a bed time stowy…?" The child asked again, pushing herself up. The covers slid down her shoulders to her midback. Isuzu sighed and pressed the girl back down to sink onto the bed and covered her up again.

"Not tonight. You have school tomorrow. Maybe this weekend, ok?" The teen spoke as she tucked the little girl in. She watched a frown creep across the young's lips and smiled softly.

"I promise, I'll listen to all of your stories all night this weekend. We'll have a bed time story party. But for tonight, go to sleep…"

"…" Akika just managed to close her eyes and bury her head into the pillow, silently crying. Isuzu sighed deeply again and rubbed Akika's back. She had to stay strict on the child to not make her some wild girl. Staying up late just for bed time stories? No way. The child needed rest; her health came first.

* * *

"Akika, wake up! It's time to go to school! Get changed now!!" Isuzu exclaimed. She rushed into Tohru's room only to find the little girl dully looking around the room, taking in all the scents, all the vision and stuff she heard. However, she was snapped out with a harsh slap on her cheek. Akika winced and looked up to Isuzu, her eyes widened with shock and tears coming to her eyes. Isuzu narrowed her eyes and quickly knelt down, helping the girl change into her uniform.

"I'm sorry Akika, but you need to hurry and get ready! We can't afford you being late for school, not today! I have to be at school early too!"

"G… Gomen… Aki sowwie, Rin-oneechan…"

"It's alright. Now come on. Whatever you were looking at will still be there when we come home! You can tell me all about it then!"

"…"

Akika couldn't help but to glance back towards the room she was now being carried out of from the horse cursed Sohma. As soon as the front door was slammed closed behind her, and in front of Akika's face, she flinched and clenched her tiny hands onto Rin's uniform.

"There! Here we are!" Isuzu exclaimed as soon as they reached the kindergarten. As Akika was placed on the ground and straightened out of her uniform by the older female, she sadly just stood and watched. However as soon as Isuzu stood up to run off to her school, Isuzu felt her hair being held by the younger Sohma. Stumbling backwards and narrowing her eyes, turning to Akika, Isuzu yelled.

"Akika, stop this! You've been acting like a brat since last night! I need to go; I'll see you later after school!"

"…!?" Akika's tiny hand quickly lost its grip on the older Sohma's long black hair. Isuzu took the chance to dash off to her school, saying she'll be there early to pick up the younger girl. Akika gasped and quickly took in a deep breath. She then finally exclaimed back.

"Thank chu…!!!!"

"You're welcome!" Isuzu said back as she continued to run. She thought Akika was only saying thanks to her for bringing her to school. A light smile came across the older Sohma as she continued to dash for her school, looking up at the clock. "Eek! Late!"

As Isuzu disappeared slowly out of the little kindergartener's sight, the child's hand that gripped onto Isuzu's hair slowly lowered to her side. Tears came to the small child's golden eyes, but she quickly managed to wipe it with her uniform's sleeve.

"…Thank chu… For taking cawe of Aki… Aki wuv Rin-oneechan…"


	20. The Torturing Ritual

Chapter 20

The Torturing Ritual

The school bell rung. Lunch time. Akika uneasily opened her pink lunch box to find the food Tohru had made for her in the morning. It looked so colorful and cute, but didn't make the child smile. The teacher tried to make the child smile the whole day in class so far, but it never worked. The girl always kept the same, sad frown on her pale face. Even through the whole class time of art; which happened to be the little girl's favorite subject since she was able to just draw whatever she wanted for an hour, the girl never smiled. All she drew was an orange cat with red scribbles all over; blood. It was never a pleasant drawing, and the teacher never even thought of commenting it; thinking the child's pet cat died or something and that it might be a touchy subject if she were to ask. Afterall, she didn't need any of the children crying over their dead pet during class.

As the lunch time continued, Akika found herself nibbling on a carrot while other children in her group talked about the cartoon they watched last night or how they were able to dream of being a robot king and queen.

After lunch was music. The children were to sing along with the piano the teacher played, and it was supposed to be a song each child knew; _The Grandfather's Clock©_. Each of them sung like it was any other music class; since the class before they were to sing the Black Sheep song.

"_Tick tock, tick tock_…"

"_Tick tock, tick tock…_"

The words seemed to move the little girl with the golden eyes. She stopped at the verse to just listen to her classmates say those words, since she couldn't find herself to say it. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tick tock. It sounded to Akika as her own life's clock ticking. It was as if she had her own grandfather's clock. Trembling slightly thinking of how she was to be killed in just a few hours, Akika bit her lips and went back to singing, practicing the song with her classmates trying to act normal.

"Akika-chan, why did you look scared during music class?" One of Akika's classmates asked. She was a little girl with black, short hair. Her brown eyes seemed to just stare at her classmate worriedly. "Are you not feeling good…? Do you need to go to the nurse…?"

"Eh…?" Akika blinked and looked up to the girl. Naomi Tsuyama. She was the oldest in the class by the date she was born on, but like all of her classmates, she was just five years old as well. She was known as the girl who talked to any of her classmates if they were acting weird; whether they were sick, sad, or just feeling a bit depressed of something that happened recently.

Frowning up to Naomi, Akika shook her head and glanced back down to her wood desk with an apple sticker on the corner to show that it belonged to that class. Naomi didn't seem convinced; she sat down on the table next to the sad girl's and tilted her head worriedly.

"Akika-chan?"

"Akika Mido, Akika Mido in Apple Class. Please come to the front office, your family member is here to pick you up and have you early released. Have a nice day."

The whole class went silent as they eyed their frightened classmate. Naomi blinked as the speaker gave off a small tune, telling the fact that it was done doing the short announcement. Then, letting a bright smile come to her face, she patted Akika's back while Akika trembled in fright.

"Akika-chan! You're so lucky you get to go home early! I'll see you tomorrow; you should go now! Your parents are waiting for you!"

Naomi didn't know anything at all, obviously. Akika's eyes were wide with fear, but her bangs did well covering it up with a shadow. But she had to go to the office, or the teacher herself would drag the child to the place. Pushing herself up from the desk's chair, Akika smiled weakly to Naomi.

"Mii… See chu tomorrow…"

Her weak smile seemed to make Naomi just nod worriedly, but still smiling. Akika took the hat and bag that hung on the side of her desk and put them on their positions before walking out of the classroom and into the office. Her heart thumped fast as she opened the door to the room. Just as she thought, Akito stood there, a fake smile on her face.

"There you are, I thought we had to call you again Akika-chan." The principal said as he smiled down to the student. "I heard it's a sudden move… I'll miss you. I hope to see you again sometime soon. Grow up to be a beautiful woman, ok?"

Akika just decided to nod, a frown staying on her face.

"You'll make new friends there, don't worry. And thank you for coming to this school till now…" The principal finished. Akika's frown never left her features. She looked down and said nothing, then felt the hard tug on her arm; Akito.

"…Ah…! Mii… B… Bye bye…" Akika quickly said in reflex, looking up to Akito nervously as the older female just nodded with the approval. The principal kept the same smile and just nodded.

"Bye bye."

As Akito led the little girl out of the school, Akika gulped at the silence. Only their footsteps were heard the whole time. Taking a glance up to the head of the family, Akika only found Akito's blank, emotionless face staring straight forward and just walking, holding the girl's arm tightly in her hand as if the girl were to escape if she let go. Biting her lips, the child knew it wasn't the best time to talk to the head of the family, for it was Akito's job to take care of the Red Panda when it came to this day; the Red Panda's death.

Akito pushed the little girl into the car of which Hatori, once again, drove. Letting herself sit in the front seat, Akito just nodded to the Sohma doctor, who without a word, started to drive back to the Main house. He didn't agree with the rules of the Red Panda for it was to his eyes, just a murder with an excuse, but there was nothing he could do about it for him being one of the cursed zodiac members as well. After the car reached the Sohma house, Akito got out and went inside without letting the girl out. Not knowing what was going on, Akika decided to sit in the car even after Hatori left as well. It wasn't like she was able to run away now; she was in Akito's property. If Akito were to give one order, to catch the runaway girl, Akika wouldn't stand a chance against the men chasing her. After what seemed like an hour or two, two maids came out from the house of which Akito had entered. By that time however, Akika was getting desperate to get out.

The car was getting hot despite the humid weather out the door. Without knowing better, Akika found herself running around in the back seat, trying to find a way to get cool air inside the car. Was this the death chamber? The oven car? The temperature seemed to just continue to rise, and the maids just watched for a moment.

* * *

"Akika Mido."

Rin said to the teacher, who blinked in confusion.

"Eh…? But she already was picked up… A few hours ago." Suzan Hima tilted her head. Isuzu's eyes narrowed.

"…By who?"

"A man I believe. He had black hair and dark eyes. He claimed to be her cousin? Huh… Wait… Is he?"

Rin just nodded and dashed off without saying a word to the teacher. The teacher just stood where she was, confused, as another student tackled her playfully from behind. Rin knew who it was immediately.

"That bastard…!!"

* * *

"Red Panda, over here."

One of the maids mentioned as she pulled out a long cloth. She opened the door and blocked the girl's way out. Desperate for some cool air, Akika dashed towards the maid without second thought, her mouth opened as she panted for cool air like a dog almost. Taking that as a chance, the maid quickly slipped the cloth into the girl's mouth and tied it tightly behind the girl's head. Akika was taken by surprise as she was immediately gagged.

It was all a plan. To trap the girl in the hot, temperature rising car until she was desperate for some cold air to cool herself down, then to gag her while her natual instincts were her first thoughts, to just hurry and get to the door to decrease some of her own body temperature. If it was done to do in the Summer, they'd freeze the inside of the car and open the door at the perfect moment when the child was desperate for the warm temperature to heat them up again. If the child was to die in the car, then that was that. Easy kill.

Akika moved her hands behind her head, trying to take the gag off so she could scream for help even if it meant disturbance to the other Sohma familes in that lived around the main house. However, the maids were quick, as if they were specially trained with children's thoughts just for this day. The one who gagged her immediately grabbed both of the girl's wrists and held them tightly behind her back, as the other grabbed her ankles to avoid her from kicking. Getting very scared and desperate for help, the girl screamed with the gag in her mouth for help, but only a small, muffled faint voice came out. She tried squirming around, but the maids already had her held down and the only place she managed to move was her hips and shoulders, which both had no ability to harm the maids. The child was held down until she ran out of energy to squirm, like any human would be if panicked suddenly.

As the girl took a small break from the harsh squirming and tries of screaming, the maids lifted the girl rather easily and quickly brought her inside. Akika tried to squirm even then, but she had used up too much energy from her first try; another one of the Sohma's plans. It was to use up the kid's energy at their first rage until the barely had energy left, then to finally bring them inside.

When the little girl was brought in, Akito was there as well. She looked over to the gagged child and away, pointing to the floor. The maids released the hold on the girl, and Akika fell straight onto it. The floor was cold, making the little girl snuggle herself onto it to continue cooling herself off. Akito took this chance and stood up, quickly walking to the child and stepping on her back. Akika cried out in pain, but still, from the gag, almost nothing came out. Usually, or at least, before, Akito did punish her sometimes this way just by stepping on her back and pushing her weight onto her, but this time, it hurted more. Of course it did; all the times before Akito didn't have to kill the child. Now she had the duty to do so. More people entered the room; people who were trained to do their duties for this day. Akika wasn't their first child to kill in their careers so far, so they didn't have any hesitation on doing their job. The girl was nailed to the floor and was gagged, ready for the men to do their jobs.

One of them rushed to the child first and grabbed her ankles again, pressing them against the cold floor. At first, it felt good for the girl's body heat, but the next second she started squirming. He was taking off her shoes, then her socks so easily without a second thought.

Akito's job was simple, to keep the child down and watch over her death, and at times, tell the child's curse to never return or the curse would have to face the same fate again over and over again. It disgusted her that she had to do such job, but it was needed to save the cat. Saving the cat also meant keeping the other zodiac members loyal, since they knew there was someone they themselves could point and say "He has a worse life than ours." So it wasn't Akika herself they had a blame on; it was only the curse. But in order to get rid of the living curse, they had to kill the one who was possessed with it in the most painful way they could think of; torture, so they could hope the curse would get scared of coming back, not wanting to suffer the same pain again.

Akika tried to squirm, and her arms succeeded on doing so. However, the main part she wanted to move out of the grasps, her legs and ankles, didn't move. The man didn't budge his hold. Another man came by the one holding the girl's ankles down after her shoes and socks were out of the way, and only her bare feet showed. Holding her feet down so that the back of her feet were clearly in the men's views, the second one took out a knife. Akika turned her head wondering why they were so obsessed with holding her feet down, when the knife came into her view. Her eyes widened as another man came and held the girl's wrist down, revealing her palms easily now that she was focusing on her feet.

"Mm! Mmmf!!" Akika tried to protest and move around. The knife's end pressed onto Akika's sensitive skin on the back of her foot, getting pushed in deeply and starting to draw some blood. Originally being ticklish and very sensitive on the back of her feet, the pain for her was unbearable. She screamed and bit onto her gag, crying hard in pain. Akito closed her eyes and glanced away from the child's foot being worked on, looking to the girl's face. She could tell the ritual was painful for her. However, she continued with her own role as Akika's foot was starting to be carved from the back. The men sure knew where to press in; it drew blood out fast.

"I suggest you don't come back anymore, you damn Panda… You were never meant for being a member of this party of the Chinese Zodiac. Don't make any more of your cursed humans die, isn't that enough for you? Why bother to kill the cat when you've already killed so many kids?"

Akika couldn't hear Akito anymore. Her mind was blank. She was crying out too much into the cloth at the terrible painful ritual of the stupid Bloody Panda. It all stopped for a moment as they all waited for the child to recover just even slightly so she'd listen, and hopefully the 'God's voice would reach the Red Panda's curse. As Akika opened her eyes slightly in recovery, when another knife was placed on her palm the same time the other knife was placed on her other foot. She shook her head pleadingly looking up to the workers, but they had done this ritual too many times, making them used to killing children with the curse and not being bothered with the child's cries and pleas.

Just as Akika was about to pass out at the pain, the door of the main house busted open. Isuzu stood there, breathing heavily, her eyes widening as she figured the ritual already started, seeing the blood on the floor. The place was silent for a moment, until the horse finally yelled out.

"Akito!! No!"

"Too late… She already killed someone. If you didn't want her to go, you should've kept an eye on her." Saying the words with such less emotion, Akito looked down to the five year old on the floor. The pain and the fast blood loss was slowly killing her. Akito's eyes narrowed as she thought of her own father, Akira, when he had the same eyes Akika had now; dying. It caused Akito to take her foot off the girl's back and order the men to stop for a moment, and to let the girl just die natually now. She wasn't going to be saved now anyway. Isuzu couldn't possibly bring the girl out of the gates to take her to the hospital, and Hatori was the Sohma doctor, making it impossible to break the ritual rules and save the girl on her day of death.

Isuzu dashed the the little dying girl on the ground and carefully the girl. She was now bleeding badly from both her palms as well as both of her feet. Having a small body, the amount of the blood flowing out was too much for her. However, she managed to look up to the horse as the teen quickly removed the gag from the girl's mouth.

"Akika, stay awake! I'll save you! I'm not going to let you die… Not now! Not yet! You still have a long life to live…"

Isuzu exclaimed as she shook the girl in her arms, trying to keep her eyes open and awake. Akika was having troubles now of trying to stay awake. Her heart tried to get blood in, but with the amount being lost, there wasn't much it could get in to pump back out and work right. From the force of gravity, the blood all flowed down towards her feet, where it was immediately released from the deep cut, only to drip onto the cold floor. Isuzu used her hand to cover the girl's feet, but it didn't work.

"No… No, stay awake!"

The horse shook the girl again, but Akika's eyes closed.

"Rin-oneechan pwomise… Rin-oneechan say… Akito-sama no get to Aki… Mn…"

"I know… I'm sorry, I failed you…"

Akito excused the workers to walk out of the room and turned back to see the horse and the panda. Sighing softly, she decided to leave as well. She wasn't into dramatic scenes; she didn't like watching it at all. After mentioning to the maids to clean up the mess after the child dies, she left as well.

"Why didn't you tell me about today…? You knew about it, right?" Isuzu asked, frowning to the dying child.

"Aki… Aki no say… Aki no want Rin-oneechan sad…"

"…Why? I won't be sad… I would've saved you…"

"…Aki wuv Rin-oneechan… Aki wanted hewp make Rin-oneechan smile…"

The horse's eyes widened. She looked to her own hand where the blood smeared. Then feeling the body in her arm go limp, she panicked a bit and started shaking the child again.

"Akika! No! Wake up! Akika!!"

The body didn't budge. Akika was gone now; dead. Isuzu broke down both from not being able to save the kid making her break her pride, and from losing her sister like figure…

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AN: TToTT Akika-chan!!!! I loved her myself even while writing about her Dx There's only one more chapter to go! 


	21. 6 Years Later

Chapter 21

6 years later…

Isuzu didn't do anything for the next several years. The only main things that happened was that she got married to Haru, who swore he'd make her feel better about the child that was killed from the curse's ritual. Isuzu even had her own little daughter, Hotaru, on the day of the murdered girl's birthday.

Hotaru was a timid girl, yet, if angered, she was scary. If someone were to be her friend however, she was the sweetest little girl ever. From around the age of two, Isuzu started feeling better and brought her to the nearby park where lots of other little children played.

There, Rin had to burn a certain image in her eyes; much as Akika's gory death had once done to her.

Hotaru walked to the sandbox where several children played, and easily joined the group. Being a responsible parent, Rin watched carefully as her child played with others, when a little boy in the sandbox caught her eyes.

He was around three or four, Rin guessed. His hair was a very light golden red. His eyes were bright gold. The horse looked around and found the mother of the child, though, she looked nothing like him. Rin could only tell that they were related because when the woman called a name, that certain little boy turned and giggled, waving happily.

Several nights later, there was a murder. A pregnant woman died from the hands of a child. Watching the news at the time after her daughter had gone to sleep, Isuzu's eyes widened. There was that same little boy she saw at the park, covered in blood, though, still alive. His golden eyes were blank with fright. Rin knew those eyes. They were the same eyes Akika had when she killed her classmate.

Turning the TV off and holding her head, Isuzu sighed, tears coming to her eyes. Who knew what fate that child had to face from now on…?

_End_

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**Thank you for reading this story, I really enjoyed writing it! I would like some final reviews? D: Especially from the people I get messages on my E-mail saying this story went on an alert list, and I never get reviews from? xDDD **


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